{"id":67637,"date":"2025-07-16T16:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/67637\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:47:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:47:13","slug":"italian-tennis-legend-assesses-jannik-sinner-and-carlos-alcarazs-chances-of-winning-a-calendar-grand-slam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/67637\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian tennis legend assesses Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s chances of winning a Calendar Grand Slam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>For the first time in Italian tennis history, one of their own won the Wimbledon singles title in 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/matteo-berrettini\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matteo Berrettini<\/a> and Jasmine Paolini fell at the final hurdle in 2021 and 2024, it was Jannik Sinner\u2019s turn to try and get the job done.<\/p>\n<p>Taking on his closest rival, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/carlos-alcaraz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, against whom he\u2019d lost the French Open final in heartbreaking fashion the month before, Sinner was determined to secure the win.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2224291485-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner walk on court ahead of the 2025 Wimbledon final\" class=\"wp-image-111830\" \/>Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Dropping the first set 4-6, the 23-year-old\u2019s title hopes hung by a thread, but he was not to be denied, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/news\/marion-bartoli-noticed-what-carlos-alcaraz-did-when-jannik-sinner-returned-to-the-court-as-wimbledon-champion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sinner fought back to beat Alcaraz<\/a> 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, clinching his maiden Wimbledon title.<\/p>\n<p>Sinner\u2019s win saw his and Alcaraz\u2019s Grand Slam streak extend to seven tournaments, as the pair continue to dominate on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/atp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ATP Tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sharing his thoughts on the world number one and two\u2019s brilliance, a former Italian tennis star has predicted whether either <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/jannik-sinner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sinner<\/a> or Alcaraz can complete the Calendar Grand Slam in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Paolo Bertolucci says it is \u2018now more likely\u2019 that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz complete the Grand Slam<\/p>\n<p>Writing for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazzetta.it\/Tennis\/atp\/slam\/wimbledon\/15-07-2025\/sinner-e-il-grande-slam-l-opinione-di-bertolucci-sulla-gazzetta.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">La Gazzetta dello Sport<\/a>, 1976 Davis Cup winner Paolo Bertolucci gave his verdict on the chances of Sinner or Alcaraz achieving the Calendar Grand Slam or \u2018Grand Slam\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>To complete the Grand Slam, a player must win all four majors in a calendar year, a feat achieved just three times in men\u2019s tennis history, and once in the Open Era.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links multi\">\n<li>1938 \u2013 Don Budge<\/li>\n<li>1962 \u2013 Rod Laver <\/li>\n<li>1969 (Open Era) \u2013 Rod Laver<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Discussing the Calendar Grand Slam failure of three of the sport\u2019s greatest players, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, Bertolucci argued the current world number one and two are \u2018more likely\u2019 to match <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/rod-laver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rod Laver\u2019s<\/a> feat.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2224313044-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz cross paths after the 2025 Wimbledon final.\" class=\"wp-image-111908\" \/>Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my opinion, the possibility of it happening now has become more likely, precisely because we have two players of that level, not three, four, or five like in the last decade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Jannik] Sinner and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/carlos-alcaraz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Carlos] Alcaraz<\/a> are in a different sport; they are two men in sole command. Last year, like good \u2018little brothers,\u2019 they shared two majors each. This year, however, we\u2019re 2-1 in favor of the Italian, and the fourth event remains, with all the complaints that can be made about the three match points missed in Paris.<\/p>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Grand Slam<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Winner<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Runner-Up<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Score<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2024 Australian Open<\/td>\n<td>Jannik Sinner<\/td>\n<td>Daniil Medvedev<\/td>\n<td>3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2024 French Open<\/td>\n<td>Carlos Alcaraz<\/td>\n<td>Alexander Zverev<\/td>\n<td>6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2024 Wimbledon<\/td>\n<td>Carlos Alcaraz<\/td>\n<td>Novak Djokovic<\/td>\n<td>6-2, 6-2, 7-6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2024 US Open<\/td>\n<td>Jannik Sinner<\/td>\n<td>Taylor Fritz<\/td>\n<td>6-3, 6-4, 7-5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2025 Australian Open<\/td>\n<td>Jannik Sinner<\/td>\n<td>Alexander Zverev<\/td>\n<td>6-3, 7-6, 6-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2025 French Open<\/td>\n<td>Carlos Alcaraz<\/td>\n<td>Jannik Sinner<\/td>\n<td>4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2025 Wimbledon<\/td>\n<td>Jannik Sinner<\/td>\n<td>Carlos Alcaraz<\/td>\n<td>4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<p>Grand Slam winners since 2024<\/p>\n<p>The Italian doesn\u2019t think Sinner or Alcaraz have advantages over one another on different surfaces anymore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo surface favors one or the other anymore; even in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wimbledon<\/a> final, we saw that when one of the two puts in 3% less on the court, they\u2019re taken away,\u201d said Bertolucci.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen everything changed. We\u2019re talking about an increasingly physical and less technical sport, different rackets and balls, but also different surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bertolucci proceeded to explain what he noticed at Wimbledon in 2025, which highlighted the talents of Sinner and Alcaraz.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the All England Club, I saw a photo from 1985; on the grass, there was a vertical groove all the way to the net, not a horizontal one behind it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow the baseline is being played in an unimaginable way, especially from Jannik and Carlos, who hit impressive shots in rallies that can last seven or eight shots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/novak-djokovic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Novak] Djokovic<\/a>, whose ball is now traveling 20 kilometers per hour slower.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen maybe someone else will come along, perhaps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/joao-fonseca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Joao] Fonseca<\/a>, but for three years the stage is set for Rod Laver\u2019s two heirs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bertolucci believes the youngsters may have what it takes to complete the Grand Slam, but have either of them been close so far in their careers?<\/p>\n<p>Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s best Calendar Grand Slam attempts<\/p>\n<p>To complete the Calendar Grand Slam, a player must win 28 consecutive matches at major tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>With that being the case, a failure to win the first Grand Slam of the year immediately removes you from the Calendar Grand Slam conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Alcaraz\u2019s struggles at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/australian-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australian Open<\/a> have hurt him throughout his career, as he has yet to reach the semifinals in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links\">\n<li>Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s best Calendar Grand Slam attempt \u2013 4\/28 matches won (2024, 2025)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sinner, on the other hand, has won back-to-back Australian Open titles and made an impressive run to the French Open final in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>However, failing to convert Championship points against Alcaraz saw his assault on the Calendar Grand Slam come to an end, just before the halfway stage.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links\">\n<li>Jannik Sinner\u2019s best Calendar Grand Slam attempt \u2013 13\/28 matches won (2025)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Only time will tell if either Sinner or Alcaraz will make a more sustained run at the Calendar Grand Slam in 2026, but it will certainly be something to look out for.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time in Italian tennis history, one of their own won the Wimbledon singles title in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":67638,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[1466,1824,47748,62,1464,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-67637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-carlos-alcaraz","9":"tag-jannik-sinner","10":"tag-paolo-bertolucci","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tennis","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114863934230952553","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}