"If my player is on form, especially with a big serve, he can challenge anyone" - Rusedski states why he would prefer Mpetshi Perricard to play Sinner in early stages of tournament

Greg Rusedski is currently coaching Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on the ATP Tour. While the Frenchman has not competed since the Miami Open, he will be in the field for the Rome Open and Roland Garros. With there an outside chance of meeting Jannik Sinner in the tournament, the former US Open finalist discussed why he wanted his player to face Sinner earlier rather than later.

The world number one is the talk of the town at the moment. It did not take long before Rusedski and journalist Kevin Palmer began discussing his most recent title triumph at the Madrid Open, thrashing Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in a destructive and scintillating manner.

"The dominance continues with Jannik Sinner," Rusedski began on his podcast. "He looks unbeatable—four Masters in a row, winning on clay, and now heading to Rome trying to collect all nine Masters titles." Palmer chimed in, stating how poor of a performance it was from Zverev. "Honestly, the final was slightly embarrassing," he admitted. "Alexander Zverev even apologised to the crowd afterwards."

Looking on the other side of it, the domination continues for the world number one who is blitzing away from the rest of the field. "Sinner has now effectively won five in a row if you include Paris at the end of last year," he continued. "He’s barely dropped a set. No one is getting close to him. The only player who can get near him is Carlos Alcaraz—and even then, matches aren’t close. They’re not even reaching tie-breaks. I heard Andy Roddick say tennis might have a problem with Carlos out. It really feels like unless Sinner gets injured, he’s going to keep dominating."

Rusedski noted that Sinner was not on his A-game all through the tournament. "At the start of Madrid, Sinner wasn’t playing his best—he lost a set to Benjamin Bonzi and said he struggled with the conditions."

The turning point came in the last-four match against Arthur Fils. "But from the semi-finals onwards, he was brilliant. Zverev served 77% first serves but only won 52% of those points, and just 28% on second serve. Sinner was returning everything, taking the ball early. Zverev looked unsure tactically—you have to serve aggressively and keep Sinner off balance, but it’s easier said than done. I think mentally he doesn’t know what to do against him."

In the last year and a half of tennis, very few names have been able to topple the Italian. Carlos Alcaraz is the only one to do it numerous times. Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open, Alexander Bublik in the Halle Open, Tallon Griekspoor at the Shanghai Masters (via retirement) and most recently Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open.

Very ominous signs for the rest of the field. With no Alcaraz thanks to an untimely wrist injury keeping him out of play for the rest of the clay swing, challengers seem sparse. Despite the defeat today, Rusedski still feels Zverev can pull something out of the hat. "You can’t discount Zverev completely," he argued. "He’s had a phenomenal year and was close to another Slam final. But against Sinner right now, he needs a perfect day."

The former British number one noted a couple other prospects but continued to pursue with Zverev. "Maybe someone like Novak Djokovic can do something special—but Sinner looks almost unbeatable. Players like Jack Draper have been unlucky with injuries. Ben Shelton has the tools but isn’t as strong on clay. Zverev is still the closest, but he’s struggled recently. Right now, no one looks ready to consistently challenge Sinner."

Next up is Sinner's home event. The Rome Open is set to follow in the footsteps of the Madrid Open, playing host to another exciting and dramatic tournament on clay ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2026. Sinner has never tasted success in his home country's capital and will be by far the favourite to achieve this title.

Not just for the four-time Grand Slam champion, but for all players Rome is important, according to Rusedski. "It’s huge. Players who go deep in Rome often become favourites in Paris. Sinner, for example, has time to recover—he won easily, gets a bye, and has several days to prepare. His preparation is second to none."

With all this hype and expectation comes huge responsibility and pressure to perform at the highest level week in, week out. "Everyone expects him to win in Rome," Rusedski said. "The pressure will keep building. But his performance level—like that 9.8 rating against Zverev—is almost flawless. There doesn’t seem to be a weakness in his game."

Rusedski himself will be prioritising the Rome Open, but not from a viewing perspective. He is working with Mpetshi Perricard after stepping into the role following Francisco Roig's departure to work with Iga Swiatek.

A clash between his player and Sinner is very much a possibility either in Rome or his home Grand Slam. Rusedski heavily favoured playing Sinner early, getting him done and out of the way if that possible scenario occurs for Mpetshi Perricard.

"Sometimes it’s better to play the big names early. If my player is on form, especially with a big serve, he can challenge anyone."