"Sinner is currently stronger than Alcaraz on clay": Former World No.7 makes bold claim on Sinalcaraz rivalry
ATPWednesday, 15 April 2026 at 16:37
Carlos Alcaraz no longer has the edge over Jannik Sinner on clay in the view of Corrado Barazzutti, the former World No.7 who reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 1977 and the last four of the French Open a year later.
While many think that Alcaraz who won the French Open last year is the strongest player, Corrado Barazzutti has formed a defence to that case and said that he sees it as no longer being the case for a few reasons. Sinner was notably banned for most of last Spring and only return in Rome so did not play Madrid or Monte-Carlo prior to that tournament.
He also defeated Alcaraz on his favoured surface in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters last week. The Italian came out on top and walked away with the trophy winning 7-6(2), 6-3 to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay and he also return to World No.1 in the process.
Alcaraz has won four encounters last year and the Monte-Carlo win was the first time they have met this year. Sinner has now won their last two matches as he beat Alcaraz last November.
“Look, in my opinion the difference between the two on clay hasn’t existed for a long time,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “A year ago, Jannik reached the final in Rome after returning from three months and lost the Roland Garros final by a hair’s breadth, failing to convert three match points.
“I’ll tell you more: in my opinion, Sinner is currently stronger than Alcaraz on clay, too.”
But he also sees it as a confidence thing that one player will be reeling in Alcaraz who will aim to put it right now in Barcelona while Sinner who will not be playing again until Madrid next week will be full of confidence.
Carlos Alcaraz lost his edge?
He also sees it as Sinner having more of an easier tactical plan to execute than Alcaraz and that he knew exactly what he was doing. He did make the point though to end off that in reality it is very much far from over and is a battle that could rumble on for a long time yet.
“Right now, there’s one player who’s very confident, Sinner, and another who’s lost confidence and is a bit confused, and I’m referring to Alcaraz,” Barazzutti stated.
“In the final, Jannik played the important points better because he was mentally clearer and more aware of the tactical plan to execute.
“If the Spaniard doesn’t quickly reverse his trend and return to making the right choices, he’ll be forced to play catch-up in the next tournaments as well.
“But it’s true that great champions just need one click: Carlos can return to No 1 as early as this week in Barcelona, and if he manages to do so, he could even reset.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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