“We are looking at greatness”: Mats Wilander highlights what gives Jannik Sinner edge in French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz

Mats Wilander believes that a three-month break from tennis has helped Jannik Sinner. The 23-year-old cemented a spot in the final of the French Open for the first time after beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 on Friday.

He will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who secured his spot after being awarded a walkover against Lorenzo Musetti. The final score of that match was 4-6, 7-6, 6-0, 2-0. It will be the first time that both players will meet in the final of a Grand Slam.

Talking ahead of the big day, Wilander, while speaking to TNT Sports, named Alcaraz a slight favourite in the contest. However, the 60-year-old stated that Sinner would enter the contest ‘fresher’, mainly because of staying away from tennis for three months after agreeing on a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February this year.

“Jannik Sinner is the world No. 1 and he plays so hard and so fast, and to be in the final is absolutely brilliant - on a different surface is incredible,” said Wilander. “We are looking at greatness for both players. It’s special for [Sinner] to come back after three months off, and he will feel more fresh. The three months seem to have done something good for him. I can’t believe we’re getting the final between No. 1 and No. 2 - Sinner v Alcaraz - that’s a dream final for me. Sinner and Alcaraz have shown in the past two years they are the best players in the world. Everyone knows that when Sinner and Alcaraz play, they have unbelievable matches because they move so well and hit the ball so hard. Alcaraz probably goes in as a little bit of a favourite as his head-to-head is a little bit better than Sinner’s, but it is very open." This will be the 12th meeting between the two players. In the previous 11 meetings, Alcaraz had a clear edge as he won on seven occasions and suffered just four defeats.