Adriano Panatta extols Jannik Sinner and stings Carlos Alcaraz
After watching the Monte Carlo final in the grandstand, Adriano Panatta returned to his seat on Domenica Sportiva, where he commented on Jannik Sinner’s victory: “It was a beautiful final, very difficult to play because of a very annoying wind (and I know it very well). There were a lot of mistakes and also wonderful points from two players who play completely different tennis than everyone else who participates in the international circuit. Sinner’s determination, mental strength and daily work to improve himself won.”
“Maybe he has a little less technical ability but he is so mentally strong that that stuff there has it in every match so either Alcaraz plays 100 percent every match or, if he drops even a tiny percentage, Sinner wins. Jannik’s backhand? If you saw the match, on the backhand Jannik was much stronger, on the forehand Alcaraz is stronger. In the serve maybe a little better Sinner while at the net clearly stronger Alcaraz who is also preferred in the short ball and variations of the game. But Sinner was also good at reading Alcaraz’s drop shots, by now he knows him and anticipates the play by coming to the net in time to put the ball back there.”
According to the former champion, the rivalry between the two is destined to continue: “Today’s final between the two of them we will see so many times this year. Now Sinner won and it may be that next time he will win Alcaraz and so on.” The differences emerge mainly in the daily approach: “Sinner when he wakes up in the morning the first thing he thinks about is improving himself. He wants to improve the shots that he does less well and for 12 hours he thinks about that thing there obsessively. For me Alcaraz doesn’t think in the same way: he is a more imaginative and extemporaneous player but if you don’t do as Sinner does, it becomes difficult for the Spaniard who, however, is two years younger and therefore has a slight extra margin to be able to improve.”
Looking to the future, Panatta dwells on Roland Garros: “There you play a different sport because the Slam is best of five sets. However, it is important that Sinner won and was also particularly happy to do so. It is the first win for him in a major tournament on clay. How do I explain Alcaraz’s collapse in the second set? He has lapses that with top players he can hide, with Sinner you can’t afford it. If you get it, Jannik takes advantage and goes away from you. In the first set on 6-5 Sinner played six or seven aces: he when it’s the important moment, he exploits his serve very well. Alcaraz turned to his corner and said, “I can’t do it, this guy every time he needs the big point he does it.” On clay you have more room to recover than on concrete or fast surfaces.”
Finally, a quip about the Italian’s on-court attitude: “Jannik comes onto the court and ‘te vuole menà’, it’s not enough for him to win. And he trains this mentality every day. He is an athlete who approaches the sport in a monastic way. Alcaraz, on the other hand, likes to go to Ibiza, and Jannik’s obsession doesn’t have it. Sinner’s dive into the pool? When I won Monte Carlo I didn’t do it because there were no pools but there were maranas…”.
