Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner wrote another chapter in their rivalry at the French Open as fans now look forward to their next clash.
Contesting a Grand Slam final for the first time, Alcaraz and Sinner took to the court in search of Roland Garros glory earlier this month.
After five sets of thrilling action, Alcaraz defeated Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6, saving match points en route to his second consecutive French Open title.
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Securing his fifth straight win over the world number one, Alcaraz proved to have the upper hand over Sinner once more.
As fans look ahead to a potential meeting between the pair at Wimbledon, Roger Federer’s former coach has told Sinner what he must do if he wants to beat Alcaraz on the grass.
Ivan Ljubicic tells Jannik Sinner to put Carlos Alcaraz ‘under pressure’ if they play at Wimbledon
During an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport, Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic gave his verdict on a potential Sinner/Alcaraz final at Wimbledon.
“He [Jannik Sinner] has to make him defend, put him under pressure,” said Ljubicic.
“There’s no need to let [Carlos] Alcaraz get too excited because he’s shown that, when he takes control of the game, he does what he wants. He can be unplayable.
“On grass, on the one hand, it’s a little easier because he doesn’t control all the points, on the other hand, it’s also a surface that brings out his creative qualities.”
Ljubicic was keen, however, to note that it’s far from a guarantee that we will see both players reach the final.
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“However, I wouldn’t reduce everything to the Sinner-Alcaraz dualism alone,” he said.
The Croat continued to share his thoughts on Sinner’s struggles against Alcaraz, with the Italian trailing the head-to-head 4-8.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record
“When you lose to just one player it is obvious that your mind stops there, that is the knot that Jannik must unravel at this moment,” said Ljubicic.
“He will certainly spend some time studying how to beat Carlos, but the Spaniard is not someone who gives you a hand from this point of view.”
Ljubicic then assessed Alcaraz and Sinner’s grass-court capabilities, comparing the two-time defending Wimbledon champion to the man he once coached.
“Carlos has everything it takes to play well on grass,” he said.
“He responds well, he moves well, he is very powerful. But it’s not a surprise, because he found the right feeling right away: it’s a particular surface, either you find your dimension right away, or you struggle.
“I’ve had difficulties throughout my career; [Roger] Federer, like Carlos, immediately found the right feeling.
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“On paper, he [Sinner] should be comfortable, but I don’t think he had the same feeling as Carlos.
“However, Sinner, starting with his serve, is also growing on grass. It’s a surface on which, if you like to have everything under control, you are less comfortable.”
Of the two, Alcaraz has enjoyed far more success on grass throughout his career to date, collecting more titles and match wins than the world number one.
Comparing Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on grass
Sinner will no doubt hope to improve his record in 2025, but didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts on grass.
Ivan Ljubicic gives his verdict on Jannik Sinner’s shocking Halle Open defeat
Travelling to Halle as the defending champion, Sinner won his opening match against Yannick Hanfmann, setting up a second-round clash with Alexander Bublik.
Suffering a shock defeat, Sinner was beaten by eventual champion Bublik in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.
Many questioned Sinner’s Wimbledon chances following the defeat, although Ljubicic doesn’t seem to believe the result will hold much weight for the 23-year-old when he heads to the All England Club.
“The courts of the German tournament are not those of Wimbledon. There, the surface is perfect, you never have a bad bounce,” he said.
“Halle and the match with [Alexander] Bublik are not a valid point of reference to understand how comfortable Sinner is on this surface.”
Only time will tell if Sinner can bounce back from his defeat to Bublik and make a deep run at Wimbledon.
The 2025 Wimbledon tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30.