Eurosport tennis expert Mats Wilander sees the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as what the sport needs in the post Big Three era. They will meet again in the semi-finals on Thursday at the 2024 French Open.
Novak Djokovic withdrawing means that if only one Grand Slam champion will be left in the draw no matter what happens at the end of Thursday. It will be the ninth time that they meet with the winner likely to be favourite for the final. They have had four wins a piece during their eight clashes so far leaving it finely poised.
Wilander spoke after Alcaraz' win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and said that it is what the sport needs amid all of the big names of yesteryear either retiring or in Djokovic's case being an injury doubt going forward. He said that he had a chat with Lleyton Hewitt on the end of the Big Three and what tennis will do after. But Wilander sees it as a quick fix with rivalries such as Sinner and Alcaraz being ones to anchor the sport going into the future.
It will certainly be a clash that will engross the tennis world once more. Each one especially as of late has provided a true sporting spectacle and shown that they can lead the sport post Big Three. But this time it will be one with a lot more stakes with likely the French Open on the line of sorts.
Casper Ruud will face the winner of Zverev and De Minaur. The Norwegian could be seen as an outside favourite given that he has reached the final before and is the most experienced of the remaining field on winning on the surface despite Alcaraz and Sinner as well as Zverev having prowess on paper.
"I think it's absolutely, massively important," he told Eurosport. "Actually, I had a chat with the Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt once and we were talking about, in a meeting with a few oldies, what’s going to happen to the game when [Roger] Federer and [Rafa] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic [go].
"And he said 'no, no. Nothing's going to happen to the game. It's not the stars that we need. We need rivalries. Rivalries is what keeps the sport alive. And do you know what? I think he’s right. Rivalries is what it's all about."
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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