Carlos Alcaraz's Jannik Sinner comment surprises Wimbledon icon - 'Wouldn't have said it'
Tennis icon Jimmy Connors was left gobsmacked by Carlos Alcaraz's remarks about Jannik Sinner following their epic Wimbledon clash. On Sunday, Alcaraz relinquished his All England Club title to the Italian, falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in yet another electrifying duel between the two stars.
For Sinner, it was sweet vindication after narrowly falling short in a five-set thriller against Alcaraz in the French Open final just weeks earlier. Their rapidly intensifying rivalry is quickly becoming one for the history books, drawing comparisons to classic matchups like Federer vs Nadal, Borg vs Becker, and McEnroe vs Connors.
Yet beneath the fierce on-court battles lies clear mutual respect, as Alcaraz's honest post-match comments made evident. The 22-year-old Spaniard not only acknowledged being outclassed over the course of the tournament but also suggested that his 23-year-old opponent was better than him in several key areas of the game.
"At some points I didn't know what to do," Alcaraz told the Centre Court audience. "From the baseline, I felt he was better than me, and I couldn't do anything about it."
Connors - remembered for his intense rivalry with fellow American great John McEnroe - was floored by Alcaraz's openness. He admitted he could never have brought himself to say something so self-effacing, especially just after losing a Grand Slam final.
The former world No. 1 also offered a word of caution, urging Alcaraz to diversify his in-game tactics, suggesting that lacking an alternative strategy could leave him stuck in similarly difficult scenarios in the future.
"That is a tough thing to admit," Connors, 72, said on his Advantage Connors podcast. "I don't know if I would ever have admitted that. No matter what you have to get in there, mix up your game a bit, or try and do something a bit different.
"I know I say that a lot, but if your game number one is not winning you have to figure something else out. I got my ass handed to me a couple of times at Wimbledon too. Everybody does."
Sunday's loss marked Alcaraz's first defeat at Wimbledon since 2022, when - coincidentally - he was eliminated in the fourth round by Sinner. The result also ended an incredible 24-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Together, Sinner and Alcaraz have taken firm control of the men's game. Amazingly, the only players who have beaten them in Slam finals are each other - and they've now captured the last seven major titles, dating back to Novak Djokovic's US Open win in 2023.
At their current trajectory, both are legitimate contenders to eventually surpass Djokovic's record 24 Grand Slam crowns by their early 30s. Right now, Alcaraz owns five major titles, with Sinner close behind on four.
Both are fast approaching Jimmy Connors' own career tally of eight. Much like Connors, who triumphed at Wimbledon in 1974 and 1982, they now stand just one Slam away from achieving the prestigious Career Grand Slam, a rare milestone reached by only five men in the Open Era: Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
For the time being, Alcaraz is aiming to bounce back in the same fashion Sinner did following his heart-wrenching Roland Garros loss, where he had a two-set lead and multiple championship points. "Champions learn from their - I'm not going to say failures - but they learn from the losses," the Spaniard said on Sunday.
"Last year in the Olympics I was really bad emotionally after the match [his defeat to Djokovic in the gold medal match ]. It was really, really hard for me to accept that moment. I think in the last year I've been through enough different situations that I learned from them.
"I just accept everything that is coming to me in the way it comes. Like, OK, I just lost a final in a Grand Slam, but I'm just really proud about being in a final."
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