Mats Wilander Delivers a Scathing Assessment of Jannik Sinner and Zverev After the U.S. Open

In an interview with *L’Equipe*, Mats Wilander discussed Alexander Zverev’s triumph at the U.S. Open—the second Grand Slam title won this year by the German tennis player, who has also closed the gap on Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the ATP rankings.

According to the Swedish tennis legend, Zverev’s major victory—which was also aided by Sinner’s absence and Carlos Alcaraz’s unusual circumstances—has not altered the hierarchy on the tour. “Now he has to aim for the top spot in the world rankings—that’s for sure. He’s won a Grand Slam; many say he’s now the best player in the world, but we don’t quite agree, because there are Sinner and Alcaraz, and we want to see them at 100% of their form.”

“Sascha still has to beat them in Grand Slam tournaments, and only then can he truly be considered the world’s number one. So I really think he’s still a bit far from that goal,” Wilander said emphatically.

Jannik Sinner is training in Monte Carlo after months off and could return to the court in Beijing and then at the Shanghai Masters 1000, where he might also face Carlos Alcaraz. After his victory in the final against Ben Shelton, Zverev was very candid when speaking about Sinner and Alcaraz: “Am I the best in the world? I don’t know how to answer that. You have to consider everything. With Jannik Sinner injured and Carlos Alcaraz returning after a four-month injury layoff, right now, probably yes. If both are healthy and in top form, maybe not. Four or five months ago, when they were both healthy, I wasn’t. And I kept losing to Jannik. So, if everyone is healthy, I think Jannik still has the edge. It’s that simple.”