"Jannik Sinner is the only one": Ivanisevic backs Italian to join Djokovic in threatening Alcaraz' US Open title defence

Wednesday, 02 August 2023 at 09:00

Former world number two Croatia’s Goran Ivanisevic believes that Italy’s Jannik Sinner can pose the biggest threat to Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.

The 20-year-old is now the talk of the town after winning his maiden Wimbledon title last month following a memorable win against the current world number Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.

Ivanisevic, who also won a Grand Slam in his career and is now Djokovic's coach for a while now, has been quoted in a report where he named Sinner as the biggest potential rival of the current world number in the years to come.

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"The generational change takes six or seven years,” said the 51-year-old. “I know we look at Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov, Shapovalov, Felix, Sinner, Alcaraz, Rune. Alcaraz has been here for two years, but let's say Medvedev has been here for five or six, he's 27 years old. They are not from yesterday.

“Alcaraz is a story in itself and Sinner is the only one who can threaten him at the US Open along with Novak. Sinner's game bothers Alcaraz and they've had some very interesting encounters so far. Also, if Medvedev's day coincides and he plays, for me he is also a phenomenal player. Novak is the only dinosaur among the best, the rest are all young.”

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Both players have faced off seven times in professional tennis where Alcaraz has a slight edge with four wins compared to three from Sinner.

Their most recent meeting was in the Miami Open in March earlier this year where the current world number eight came out on top with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Both players have met twice in the Grand Slam events where both went on to win a game each.

Jannik Sinner

@janniksin

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Thank you @Wimbledon for a special 2 weeks 💜 A memorable moment to make my first Grand Slam semifinal, but as always, I am eager for more and already working towards reaching that next step. Congrats to both guys on an amazing final 🙌🏼 For now a little rest then 🔜🇺🇸

12:41 PM · Jul 18, 2023

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Azeem Siddiqui

Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.

He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.

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