Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could continue their exciting rivalry at Wimbledon, the latest Grand Slam in the calendar.
Nick Kyrgios says Alcaraz is the favourite for Wimbledon, where the Spaniard is the second seed behind Sinner.
Jimmy Connors has told Sinner to block the outside noise ahead of the Grand Slam, which gets underway at the end of June.
Sinner enters Wimbledon sitting top of the ATP Tour rankings, with his rival Alcaraz in second and Alexander Zverev in third.
But it is Alcaraz who boasts a better history at the tournament, having won Wimbledon in both 2023 and 2024.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesMats Wilander says what must now be understood about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
The pair only just played out the French Open final, which Alcaraz won after coming from behind to beat Sinner in a five-set thriller.
Sharing his verdict on the pair, former world number one Mats Wilander told TNT Sports: “It took a while to digest and realise that that was most probably the best tennis match that I’ve ever seen in terms of drama and in terms of the level.
“Obviously, you can never count out Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for a couple of years at Wimbledon because they were intriguing in a very different way because of the contrast of styles.
“But in terms of level, I must say this is most probably the best one. I think we have a rivalry just like the Federer-Nadal and Nadal-[Novak]Djokovic, where every single match that they play will be dramatic in some way.
“The level will be so high that I think we’re going to see it over and over again, and we’re going to get used to it and just have to realise that this is a very, very special rivalry we have in front of us.
“I think we have to start to understand that we are actually watching somebody who could become among the greatest players of all time in both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“And the other thing that I really love is the way they’re taking our game! It’s not towards just keeping the ball in play. It’s not towards just coming to the net on everything. It’s being super aggressive all the time.
“There are certain players on tour that are not playing like that, and they have to reshape their game if they’re going to stay with [them].
“Because Alcaraz and Sinner are taking it in a direction where it’s never been before, and it’s not coming back.”
Mats Wilander makes Carlos Alcaraz prediction at Wimbledon after what happened at the French Open
At the age of just 22, Alcaraz clinched his fifth career Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this month.
He’s now won all five of his Grand Slam final appearances, with 23-year-old Sinner now holding a 3-1 win-loss record in that regard.
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Together, they represent the last six Grand Slam champions, as well as winning seven of the last eight finals.
But it is the Spaniard who is very much the man to beat at the next tournament, both given his history at SW19 and the fact he has just triumphed at Queen’s.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head
Discussing Alcaraz’s chances of further success at Wimbledon, seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander said: “I think it’s a very positive vibe that he comes into Wimbledon with because he’s won the French Open. And if he doesn’t win Wimbledon, so what?
“I remember going to Wimbledon and having won the French Open. You’re just so relaxed. And anything that happens at Wimbledon is a bonus.
“I think he’s going to be very, very difficult to beat because he’s proven now at last year’s French Open finals and semis down two sets to one, and he comes back and he plays his best tennis.
“He’s proven that he’s going to play his best tennis when it means the most, and he’s going to have the most fun when it means the least.”