“If you find Shelton on the day…”: Uncle Toni Nadal warns Alcaraz-Sinner final is no guarantee

Toni Nadal, uncle of legendary Rafael Nadal, believes that a final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon could be denied by Ben Shelton. The Spanish coach thinks that the favoritism of the World No. 1 and No. 2 won't be enough to guarantee a repeat of the Roland Garros final from a few weeks ago.

Alcaraz arrives at the tournament as the two-time defending champion and on a 17-match winning streak, heading into the Queen's Club Championships final—which he plays this afternoon against Jiri Lehecka. On the other hand, Sinner arrives comfortably at the top of the rankings, and while he was surprised in the second round of the Halle Open by Alexander Bublik, it was only his first loss to a player other than Alcaraz since August of last year.

Sinner and Alcaraz starred in the finals of the last Masters 1000 in Rome Open and the last Grand Slam at Roland Garros. In both, the Spaniard triumphed on clay courts. On the grass-swing, things don't seem much different, and they are the two main candidates for the title. Especially considering that Novak Djokovic arrives without confidence in his last Grand Slams, and Alexander Zverev (No. 3) hasn't been entirely consistent in recent months.

However, there are other names that could complicate the Sinner-Alcaraz dominance—who have collectively won the last 6 Grand Slams. According to Uncle Toni—Rafa Nadal's coach for much of his career—he believes Ben Shelton could be a serious threat to the favorites' ambitions.

"Normally, a Sinner-Alcaraz final (would be expected), but we’re talking about a particular Slam, there are always some surprises," Toni Nadal said. "If you find a Shelton or another great hitter on the day, important heads can fall. Grass is a treacherous surface, where the match can quickly get out of hand."

Currently, Shelton has not managed to be a significant challenge for Sinner or Alcaraz. He has faced the Spaniard three times, all resulting in losses, while he has faced Sinner on 6 occasions, winning only the first one at the 2023 Shanghai Masters—and then losing 5 consecutive times to Sinner, including in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, without even taking a set.