“That top level isn’t as good as Alcaraz’s”: Former Serena Williams coach analyzes Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon triumph

Rennae Stubbs discussed Jannik Sinner's victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, where the World No. 1 claimed his 4th Grand Slam title. The former Serena Williams coach spoke on a podcast, drawing on the opinions of Andy Roddick and Tim Henman to compare the Italian and the Spaniard.

According to Stubbs, the big difference between the two is that Sinner is better than his rival when they're having a bad day, while on a good day, Alcaraz is the one who can display better tennis. "Does he have the flair of Alcaraz? No. But you can’t really say that, that top level isn’t as good as Alcaraz’s."

"I think for me if Jannik is at his A+ he can beat Carlos at his A+. There is no question. Particularly on a court like today which was a bit bouncier and a bit flatter and he served better.”

The American coach highlighted Sinner's ability to escape a difficult 15-40 situation – two break points down – while heading towards victory in the fourth set. The Italian hit several consecutive first serves to win easy points just as the ghosts of the French Open seemed to appear.

Precisely at Roland Garros, Sinner was up 5-3 and had three match points on return, but Alcaraz managed to survive, closing the gap to 5-4. In the next game, Sinner had the chance to close out the victory, but nerves got the better of him, and he ended up conceding the break – a key moment that marked Alcaraz's comeback, as he recovered to send it to a tie-break and then take the set. Finally, Alcaraz secured the victory – and his 5th Grand Slam title – in what was probably the most painful loss in the Italian's career.

“That is what it came down to. Even the game when he held to go up 5-3 in the fourth set and he was down 15-40 he went huge on the second serve to the forehand serve, 130mph out wide and it really caught Carlos off and the same thing in the next one,” the former Serena Williams coach added. “So he was more aggressive on the second serve and he was willing to take the chances that he maybe didn’t take at the French.”