“I’m not thinking I have an advantage” – Alcaraz ready for improved Sinner in Wimbledon final
The Spaniard does not believe last month’s Roland-Garros victory gives him a mental edge over Sinner
Imago/Psnewz
Barely a month ago, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in history, tussling for five and a half hours to determine the Roland-Garros champion in Paris. Now, on Sunday at Wimbledon, they take to court to contest another major final, this time on a different surface and across the English Channel.
While Alcaraz edged out Sinner – saving three match points and coming from two sets down – to claim the Roland-Garros trophy and extend his winning streak over the Italian to five in a row, the Spaniard does not believe he holds a mental edge heading into Sunday’s final.
“I’m not thinking I have an advantage mentally Sunday because of that match,” Alcaraz said after his semi-final win over Taylor Fritz on Friday.
“Not at all, to be honest. What Jannik has, because he learned from everything as a huge champion, from the loses, from the matches he’s playing, he just get better after every match, after every day.
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to take a lot of things from French Open final, that he’s going to be better. He’s being to be better physically, he’s going to be better mentally. He’s going to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100 per cent.”
Semi-final surprise
Both men navigated their Wimbledon semi-finals with relative ease, though the score lines were contrasting. Alcaraz took four sets to get past Fritz, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6), coming within millimeters of going to a decider when the American held set points in the fourth.
Sinner, on the other hand, breezed past seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who showed his age while nursing a leg injury in their 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 clash.
“That match surprised me a little bit obviously,” Alcaraz reflected on the nature of his rival’s victory. “Winning Novak is a really difficult challenge, really difficult things to do. So beating him quite easily, so it’s even harder.”
Alcaraz praises Sinner’s level on grass
“The level that Jannik’s playing, it’s really high, as always,” Alcaraz continued. “I think he doesn’t get down his level in the matches. It’s unbelievable what he can do on a tennis court.
“I just see Jannik playing a great tennis on grass. I said many times that the movement on grass is the hardest things to get and the most important things, at least for me.
“The movement that Jannik has on grass is unbelievable. He’s sliding like he’s playing on clay from both legs. It’s just unbelievable.”
Alcaraz himself is no mug on the grass, with the 22-year-old having now won 18 in a row on the surface (and sitting at 35-3 lifetime). While he described last month’s French Open final as “the best match that I have ever played so far”, the stage is set perfectly for Sunday’s contest to surpass that.
“I just hope not to be five hours and a half on court again,” Alcaraz laughed. “But if I have to, I will.”
