Lindsay Davenport Doesn’t Mince Words About Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Former American tennis player Lindsay Davenport made a clear prediction about the U.S. Open on Tennis Channel: Carlos Alcaraz remains the undisputed favorite, despite his four-and-a-half-month hiatus and uncertainties about his physical condition.

According to Davenport, Alcaraz has a great opportunity to win the tournament without Sinner and won’t let it slip away: “When you have a resume like his—someone who’s already won seven majors—it’s hard to have any doubts. Especially without Jannik Sinner in the tournament. They’ve been so dominant in recent years.”

“Sometimes, when you come back from an injury, you think, ‘I have to get this over with quickly.’ But against Faria, he didn’t let the loss of the first set get to him; he stayed patient and managed to completely turn the match around.”

At the press conference, Alcaraz sounded a real alarm about the tour: “I don’t want to be forced to stop because of an injury anymore; I’ll take longer breaks in the future. I won’t be out for four months, but I will take one or two, even if it means skipping some major tournaments. It’s impossible to be on the court all the time.” He pointed the finger at an increasingly packed schedule: “Between the Masters 1000s, Grand Slams, and ATP requirements, a top-ranked player is expected to play forty weeks a year. We need more time for recovery and planning, including to prevent injuries.”