"Jannik and Carlos are different level, but there will be opportunity in the future" - Stan Wawrinka opens up on how to defeat Alcaraz and Sinner

Stan Wawrinka has played against some of the best players to ever grace the tennis court, and most importantly has defeated them. The three-time Grand Slam champion is a hugely respected figure in the sport for what he is done, but as he closes in on the end of his tennis career, he is ready to offer some advice on how to defeat the current big two in tennis.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has solidified themselves as the best two players in the world for the past couple of years. They have split the last nine Grand Slams between them while facing off against each other in the final three major finals in 2025. Novak Djokovic prevented this trend from continuing after his stunning showing in the Australian Open semifinal against Sinner.

He would lose to Alcaraz who has seemed to have reached another level this year. The 22-year-old is yet to lose a match this year, winning the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam before traversing to Doha to storm towards the Qatar Open title. While this has occurred, Sinner has not been at his imperious best. His failure to defend his title in Melbourne was followed by a last-eight exit in Qatar.

The Italian will be wanting to get back to his best instantly, and the perfect chance to do so is just around the corner. The Indian Wells Open is just days away from starting with Alcaraz and Sinner the firm favourites to collect these two titles. However, the rival players will not be stepping aside and letting them walk to the title as they sense a chance for triumph themselves.

No one is unbeatable, even Alcaraz and Sinner in their pomp. That is the view of the 41-year-old who “I think for sure right now Jannik and Carlos are different level," he stated. "But there will be opportunity in the future. There are always going to be opportunity for players."

He recommended for their competitors to focus on themselves instead of who is on the other side of the court, looking at how they could improve themselves in every aspect.

“For me, the most important is to look about yourself, to look about what you can improve, how you going to improve, what you can do the best to improve your game physically, tennis-wise, and to not look about who I need to beat this guy or I need to beat this guy," he acknowledged.

“At the end of the day you don't play the top player every match, so the most important is how you going to play all year long, how you going to play the match when you don't face them because most of the player, it's of course difficult challenge when you have two player like that, that they are so far better tennis-wise and physically, they're winning all the big titles.”

Sinner has already lost to two different opponents this year, just one less than the whole of 2025. He lost to Alcaraz on a numerous of occasions in their regular final meetings as well as a defeat to Alexander Bublik in the Halle Open ahead of retiring against Tallon Griekspoor in the Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz suffered one of his worst defeats in the Miami Open second round, falling at the first hurdle to David Goffin. He also lost to Cameron Norrie in the first round of the Paris Masters, Jiri Lehecka in the Qatar Open quarterfinal, Djokovic in the last-eight of the Australian Open, Holger Rune in the final of the Barcelona Open and Jack Draper in the semifinal of the Indian Wells Open. He has the chance to redeem that defeat against the British number one sooner rather than later as he looks to keep up his unbeaten streak in this calendar year.