"Red heads stick together": Boris Becker lauds Jannik Sinner on recent form

Boris Becker compared himself to Jannik Sinner and expressed his opinion that Carlos Alcaraz is a better "shot maker" than the Italian. The German coach, who was working with Holger Rune two months ago, spoke at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2024 press conference and was asked about Sinner's rise and his rivalry with Alcaraz.

Sinner and Alcaraz currently hold the world No. 2 and 3 rankings, respectively, trailing only Novak Djokovic. They have a head-to-head record of 4-4 and last faced each other at Indian Wells, where Sinner was the heavy favorite as he arrived with a 19-0 record for the year. However, Alcaraz showcased his best skills and secured a victory with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the tournament final before successfully defending his title.

The former world No. 1 expressed his affinity for Jannik, saying, "Obviously I love Jannik, red hits stick together. When I see Jannik, I see a younger version of myself, I love his poise, I love his mental attitude winning or losing – better than all of them. I think Alcaraz is the more fascinating shot maker, he gets the crowd running but Jannik usually wins the last point with his attitude."

The 6-times Grand Slam champion emphasized Sinner's remarkable 2024 season due to his competitive instinct and how his rivalry with Alcaraz has benefited tennis: "Yes, he has a lot more power than last year but he’s an unbelievable competitor, his competition instinct is second to none right now and that’s why he’s seeded No 1 in Madrid and that’s why this contrast in tennis is so exciting.”

“You have you know Carlos and Jannik they couldn’t be more different the way they look, the way they play but they both have an unbelievable instinct to you know to play until the end to excite the crowd."

Martina Navratilova, ambassador of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, also participated in the event and commented on Sinner's impressive form: "Jannik is astonishing the way he has progressed this year last year, really working on his game and trusting in the process of really working on his game and trusting every aspect of his game that if he improves every little bit he will get the results."