Former World No. 2 On Men's Tennis: ‘Alcaraz And Sinner Are On Another Level, The Rest Are Light Years Away'

Forbes

6 hours ago

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 08: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain holds the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy as he ... More speaks with runner-up Jannik Sinner of Italy following his victory in the Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 08, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by)
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won the last six Grand Slam men's singles titles, and a former world No. 2 says they are 'light years away" from the rest of the men on the ATP Tour.
'No one can be behind Jannik and Carlos,' Goran Ivanisevic, a former world No. 2 and the 1991 Wimbledon champion, said in an interview with Clay via puntodebreak.com. "Only [Novak]He added: "This is tough; many train knowing they won't win a Slam. They're playing at a different level. Just look at the Roland Garros final. The others are far behind. Just see what happened in Australia. [Alexander] Zverev, number 3, was far off. The only one who can do it is Novak."
No. 3 Zverev, No. 9 Daniil Medvedev (a former U.S. Open champion) and No. 24 Tsitsipas all lost in the first round at Wimbledon.
Sinner won this year's Australian Open and then Alcaraz came from two sets down to beat the Italian in an epic Roland Garros final.
They are the top two favorites to win Wimbledon, but Ivanisevic believes No. 6 Novak Djokovic, the 38-year-old 24-time major champ, is the favorite despite losing the last two finals to Alcaraz.
'He has beaten Sinner twice here, and in 2023, we know how close he was to winning against Carlos,' Ivanisevic said. "Last year, he had a knee problem. He is the best player on this surface. I don't see why he wouldn't play until 2028."
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece speaks with his coach Goran Ivanisevic, ... More during a practice session with Novak Djokovic at Aorangi Park during previews prior to The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by)
As for Tsitsipas, the former French Open (2021) and Australian Open finalist (2023), Ivanisevic was remarkably frank in his critique of the player he has been coaching.
"I already expected that Wimbledon wouldn't go well for him," he said. "He's not in shape. Plain and simple. Neither mentally nor physically. His situation is straightforward; if he makes changes, especially off the court, he can come back, but if he doesn't, no one can help him.
"I can help him with tennis-related matters, but the things off the court, that's something only he can do. He needs to address those things as soon as possible. His biggest problem is his backhand, especially the slice. Technically, he needs to adjust his grip a bit more, and he also needs to work on his return. He has been changing rackets frequently; that needs to change. On his serve, he rotates his body too much and should bring his feet together a bit more.
"The off-court situation is what causes him the most problems. That is what truly matters."
As for his off-court situation, Tsitsipas recently broke up with former girlfriend Paula Badosa, the world No. 9 who also lost in the first round.