The Race to No. 1: Ivan Ljubicic gives his prediction on who will top the year-end ranking - "I still see him as the favorite"

Ivan Ljubicic shared his thoughts on Jannik Sinner's chances of winning the US Open after he suffered an injury that forced him to retire at the Cincinnati Open. With the last Grand Slam of the year only a few days away from starting, and some doubts due to Sinner's physical problems, the Croatian coach ventures to say who has the better chance of winning the title at Flushing Meadows – between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – and who will finish the year at the top of the Ranking.

The former Roger Federer coach was highly critical of the organization of the Masters 1000 tournaments, both for the length of the tournament (a total of 12 days in Cincinnati) and for scheduling the final at 3 p.m. on a sweltering, sunny day.

The former world No. 3 believes that things could change at Flushing Meadows if Sinner isn't able to make a quick recovery and start the tournament at 100%. “If he recovers in 2 or 3 days, there will be no setbacks. However, if he has to rest all week, it will be difficult for him to regain the necessary form to win a Grand Slam.”

“Although in the first rounds Jannik will have more accessible opponents, the three-out-of-five-set format, the heat, and the humidity of Flushing Meadows could make him lose a lot of energy.”

The Croatian coach is concerned about the decision to play Masters 1000 tournaments over two weeks. For this year's edition, the draws for the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open were extended to 96 players, which lengthened the duration of both tournaments to a total of 12 days each. For that reason, both Alcaraz and Sinner had skipped Toronto to avoid physical issues from the high demands of making deep runs in both tournaments.

After a perfect week for both players, the worst happened in the Cincinnati final, as Sinner was forced to retire from the match after just 23 minutes. Ljubicic was critical of the tournament's decision to play the match at 3 p.m. amid heat waves in the city. “What we saw in Cincinnati is worrying. I don't understand why they insist on playing in that heat and humidity. Players run the risk of getting injured and fans aren't having fun. Something needs to be done.”

For the Croatian coach, things are particularly even heading into the US Open—if both arrive in good physical condition. “Not counting Cincinnati, Alcaraz has a 5-2 lead in their head-to-head on hard courts. At the same time, Sinner is in his best moment on this surface. In short, I would say that they would start on equal terms, especially because their matches are always very close. Without a doubt, they are clearly ahead of everyone else, but I would be surprised if they didn't make it to the final, since Jannik's health remains a mystery.”

“This is a very demanding tournament that requires aggressive tennis. Both players use it, but in Alcaraz's case, the strong topspin and drop shot variants give him a bit of an edge. We will also have to look at his serve level,” he added regarding the Spaniard. “Jannik had a hip problem that was fixed, and then he just had bad luck: the fall on his elbow, the supposed virus. That doesn't mean his body is fragile at all.”

On the other hand, the former Federer coach dared to give his prediction on who could finish the year at the top of the ranking, considering that we are now in the final part of the season. “Alcaraz has a lead of almost 2,000 points in the race. If he wins the US Open and Sinner loses in the early rounds, it will be difficult for Jannik to recover. But if the Italian loses some points in New York, I still see him as the favorite. Let's not forget that the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, Sinner's battlegrounds, have 2,500 points up for grabs.”