Rafa Nadal sentences net over Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

According to Rafa Nadal, there is no competition for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Interviewed by radio station Cadena Ser, the tennis legend had this to say about his racquet outliers: “Those of us who watch from the outside have the feeling that even if they play badly, they will continue to win and reach finals. João Fonseca as a third star? I think he is still young and not in a position to challenge them”. Nadal then elaborated on Carlos Alcaraz: “I never had any doubts that he would become a great champion, I knew he had the potential to make history in our sport”.

Ernesto Villa

“I don&#8220t rule out Carlos getting to 22 Slams, he already has six in his trophy cabinet and is only at the beginning of his career. The most important thing is that he has no serious injuries. Injuries tend to make you lose confidence in your body and that also affects your game” concluded Rafa Nadal, who already in early September spoke about the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner that is monopolizing men’s tennis. “Carlos can play at a level that Sinner cannot reach, but he can also make more errors. Jannik sets a pace with his forehand that is very difficult to follow, he is very quick in anticipation and quick to switch from defense to attack. Carlos is magical; he is more unpredictable than Sinner. At the same time, he makes more mistakes because he can play better, but he can also play worse. It is about finding the balance” he had said.

Carlos Alcaraz. who ended 2025 ranked No. 1 in the world, is betting big on the Australian Open, the only Grand Slam tournament that has never seen him victorious in the end. Challenges on Melbourne’s concrete, indeed, have always been difficult for the Murcian, whose best achievement is reaching the quarterfinals, both in the 2024 edition and in 2025, mocked first by Alexander Zverev and then by Novak Djokovic. Speaking to official Australian Open channels, Alcaraz explained that he wants to dispel this taboo by breaking the winning streak of his friend-rival Sinner, victorious in the last two years.

“I want to win as many Slam tournaments as I can,” said Carlos Alcaraz. “The Australian Open 2026 will be great, it’s my first goal of the season.When I start preparing, what I want to improve on and what tournaments I want to win, the Australian Open is there on the list. Winning it would give me a chance to complete the Career Grand Slam, it also allows me to compete for the annual Grand Slam”. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have faced each other six times this year not counting the Six Kings Slam: 4 wins by Carlos and 2 by Jannik (at Wimbledon and Turin). In total, there have been 16 matches between the two, with 10 wins by Alcaraz and 6 by Sinner.