Carlos Alcaraz was left with an epic final against Jannik Sinner last Wednesday in the final of the Beijing ATP 500the sixth victory in ten duels between the two, and which also meant the Spanish’s third victory against the Italian this season.
It was a duel of the highest level that was defined by small details, with power and speed that caused an impact and that amazed the entire world, even a legend of the game like the Swede. Mats Wilanderwho shared his impressions at the microphones of Eurosport.
“When Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are at their best there is no way anyone can play tennis better, not now or ever. The show they showed in Beijing has been great, super entertaining, for my part I put it up there as one of the best sporting events in history.
Every time they face each other, that magic occurs, they always produce that kind of suspense in favor of entertainment,” said the former world number one.
Wilander: these two guys are following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’
For the seven-time Grand Slam champion, the match held in the final of the China Open was a brilliant game and highlighted how each player always manages to respond to the opponent’s plan.
“What happens when Sinner and Alcaraz meet on the court is a match that can go either way, you never know which way the victory will go. Either of them can win, as if neither of them felt intimidated by the other person.
Then there are changes in dynamics, like in any other tennis match, but they don’t last as long. Theirs last five or ten minutes at most, until the other guy comes back and invents something to get back on top,” highlighted the renowned analyst.
Alcaraz and Sinner have become the two best of the year, numbers one and two in the world who won the four Grand Slams held in 2024. “Alcaraz is the same person he has been these last three or four years, he is a diamond in the rough, sometimes really polished, but he is still a diamond in the rough.
As for Jannik, he has made these matchups more interesting by becoming more complete, playing with more variety and daring to hit a winner here and there. I really hope that Carlos doesn’t change, that he doesn’t polish his game too much because that’s what makes him so interesting,” said the 60-year-old Swede, who closed with a statement that will surely bring answers and a great debate when comparing these young women. figures with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“In terms of level, these two guys are following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’. I hope Roger, Novak and Rafa are not listening to me, but in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there is no way there is anyone playing better tennis.
With them the ball directly does different things, more complicated than the rest,” concluded Mats Wilander.
