The Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry is the most talked-about topic on the ATP Tour. From retired professionals to respected coaches to current competitors, everyone has the term “Sincaraz” on their lips, speaking of their heroics. Most recently, legendary coach Goran Ivanišević shared his comparison on this hotly debated topic, explaining things in layman’s terms.
How Goran Ivanišević Compares Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Ivanišević began by comparing Sinner with the Serbian legend Novak Djokovic, saying, “I always compare Sinner to Novak-they’re more alike, except Sinner now has more power, a better engine, tires, rims, all that stuff.” In this statement, the coach called Sinner a stronger, more powerful Djokovic at the time, noting the similarities in their gameplay.
“When he catches you, he bites like a shark, he devours you,” he said, showing how dangerous the Italian can get once he gets his momentum.
Ivanišević then shifted his focus to the world No. 1 Alcaraz, saying, “Alcaraz plays, goes up and down. It’s great that they’re different and their matches are incredible, as shown by the Paris final last year, where the crowd didn’t say a word for five and a half hours.”
The five-and-a-half-hour epic at Roland Garros between these two was one of the best tennis matches in recent history. Alcaraz mounted a comeback from a two-set deficit, having saved three consecutive championship points in the fourth set.
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Adding to this, Ivanišević said, “That kind of match, that kind of tennis, that kind of intensity-it’s phenomenal,” acknowledging the high level of play by these champions. Before giving his final verdict, the Croatian legend made it clear that he admires both superstars: “I love both of them, but Alcaraz is more versatile and that will never change, which is even better because that way the matches are better.”
These words by the 2001 Wimbledon champion show the potential these two have, making them top contenders to dominate the ATP Tour in the coming years. The last Grand Slam winner not named Sinner or Alcaraz was Djokovic himself, who lifted the 2023 US Open title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the final.
Since then, these two have split all the majors, with Alcaraz lifting this year’s first in Melbourne. However, many tennis analysts have predicted that this year will be the one when this duopoly breaks, with a new major champion emerging.
How Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Are Faring in 2026
After a dream start to his 2026 season, Alcaraz suffered two defeats in his last three matches. He went unbeaten in the first 16 matches, winning the 2026 Australian Open and the Qatar Open before reaching the Indian Wells semifinal.
Medvedev, who had just won the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeated the Spaniard in straight sets, ending the momentum he had had since January. He then arrived in Miami, where he was defeated by the 32nd-seeded local favorite Sebastian Korda in the third round, completely halting his championship streak before the clay-court swing.
Sinner, on the other hand, was dominating the field in Melbourne, being the two-time defending champion, looking to create history by lifting his third consecutive title. However, Djokovic decided he wanted to keep his record intact and overcame the World No. 2 in the semifinal, handing him his first defeat at the venue since 2023.
He then faced an early exit in Qatar against the Czech sensation Jakub Menšík in the quarterfinal before coming back strong in Indian Wells, where he defeated Learner Tien and Alexander Zverev to reach the final.
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The Italian defeated the world No. 11 to lift his first title of the season before arriving in Miami. Now at Hard Rock Stadium, Sinner has defeated Damir Džumhur, Corentin Moutet, American Alex Michelsen, Frances Tiafoe, and Zverev to set up a final clash against Czech star Jiří Lehečka.
PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator predicts a 91% chance that the Italian will become the first man since Roger Federer to complete the Sunshine Double, which the Swiss legend last did in 2017.
