"They are in a different category": Former French Open winner cannot see anyone beating Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner in near future

Former French Open winner Adriano Panatta believes that Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner are players of a ‘different category’ compared to the rest of the participants on the ATP tour. The two players have dominated men’s tennis in the last 24 months and shared all eight Grand Slam titles.

This year, they have shared the four major titles, and in three of them, they faced each other in the final as well. At the Australian Open, it was Sinner who lifted the title after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. At the French Open, it was Alcaraz's turn to lift the title as he defeated Sinner in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

The match lasted more than five hours and officially became the second-longest final in the history of Grand Slams in the Open era. During the contest, in the fourth set, Sinner had three championship points, but not only did Alcaraz manage to save them, but broke the Italian’s serve in the next game and eventually won the set and the next set to seal an incredible triumph.

At Wimbledon, it was Sinner’s turn once again as he outclassed Alcaraz in the final with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. At the US Open, it was against Alcaraz’s turn as he defeated Sinner in the final with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Interestingly, both these players have faced off in five consecutive finals events since the Australian Open, where they have played together.

They also featured in the finals of the Rome Open and the Cincinnati Open, where on both occasions, Alcaraz came out on top. In Rome, he won in straight sets, whereas in Cincinnati, he came out on top because Sinner was forced to retire after falling ill a day earlier. Former French Open winner Panatta has been recently quoted in La Domenica Sportiva, where he stated that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing in a ‘different category’. The 75-year-old believes it is hard to see anyone coming close to beating any one of them in the near future.

"They are in a different category,” said Panatta. “I don't see how the others can beat them. Sinner is incredibly consistent, Alcaraz is very complete with numerous solutions. This year, they have shared the Grand Slams, displaying an extremely high level. They are joined by Musetti, Shelton, and Draper. João Fonseca is also very promising, but Jannik and Carlos are in a different category and I don't see how they can lose to these players."

Alcaraz and Sinner have remained very positive about each other in the press talks as well. After losing the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz, speaking to the media, admitted that playing with Sinner improves him as a player. Alcaraz stated that such a rivalry is important for players.

“I just am really, really happy about having this rivalry with him. I think it's great for us and it is great for tennis,” said Alcaraz. “Every time we play against each other, I think our level is really high. I think we don't watch a level like this, if I'm honest with you. I don't see any player playing against each other having the level that we are playing when we face each other. I think, as I said many, many times, this rivalry is getting better and better. We're building a really great rivalry because we're playing finals of Grand Slams, finals of Masters – the best tournaments in the world. It's going to be better and better. I am just really grateful for that because it gives me the opportunity to just give my 100 per cent every practice, every day, just to be better, thanks to that. The level that I have to maintain and I have to raise if I want to beat Jannik is really high.”