
Carlos Alcaraz has the potential to challenge Jannik Sinner, but continues to struggle with consistency, according to former world No 17 Nicolas Escude. Escude believes that while Alcaraz possesses “all the solutions” to counter Sinner’s dominance, he has yet to manage to “put everything in the right order.”
Sinner, who currently holds the world No 1 ranking, is leading Alcaraz by a significant 4,820 points in the ATP rankings. Alcaraz occupies the third spot, just behind Alexander Zverev. At the 2025 Australian Open, Sinner claimed the title by defeating Zverev in the final, while Alcaraz was knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
The rivalry between the two players has been prominent since the start of the 2024 season, with Sinner and Alcaraz capturing the last five major titles between them. Together, they have won seven of the last ten Grand Slams, a streak that began with Alcaraz’s maiden Grand Slam victory at the 2022 US Open.Sinner has been particularly dominant on hard courts since Novak Djokovic’s 2023 US Open victory, securing back-to-back Australian Open titles and the 2024 US Open. Meanwhile, Alcaraz has added two Wimbledon titles and the 2024 French Open to his tally, bringing his Grand Slam total to four. Despite Sinner’s dominance, Alcaraz holds a 6-4 head-to-head advantage over him, having won all three of their encounters in the past season.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Escude identified two factors that could lead to Sinner’s defeat. “We saw Sinner have a big physical failure against Rune in this tournament (the Australian Open),” Escude noted. “But for him to lose, I think he needs to come up against a player who can keep up the pace physically against his way of playing, which is not easy. Or against a serving machine, who can bring him to the end of sets and take advantage of a point or two.”
Escude also added, “But in a Grand Slam, over time, it’s complicated. Alcaraz probably remains the one who, thanks to all the solutions he has in his tennis, suggests that he can find the weapons to oppose Sinner. But for the moment, he continues to sometimes make mistakes, to not put everything in the right order.”
Alcaraz is currently competing in the Rotterdam Open, while Sinner, who won the event in 2024, opted not to defend his title. Alcaraz will be the top seed at the ATP 500 tournament on his debut.
Jannik Sinner in 2025


Currently the world no.1, Jannik played his last match on the 26th of January when he defeated world no.2 Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 20th career title.
This season the Italian achieved an overall 7-0 match record. This year, Sinner lifted the trophy at the Australian Open.
He is also scheduled to play in Doha (Qatar ExxonMobil Open). The main draw will start on the 17th of February.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2025


Ranked no.3, the Spaniard played his last match on the 21st of January when he surrendered to world no.6 Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 in the quarter of the Australian Open (draw).
At present, during this year Carlos achieved a composed 4-1 win-loss record.
Carlos Alcaraz will face the world no.373 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . They have never competed against each other as of now in top competitions.
The Spaniard won 17 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Doha (Qatar ExxonMobil Open). The main draw will start on the 17th of February.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other 11 times. Their head to head is 7-4 for Alcaraz. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) in the final in Beijing (China Open) in October 2024.
Here are the highlights.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz |
Embed from Getty Images |