Jannik Sinner sends advice to Carlos Alcaraz: "It’s sad but…"
Jannik Sinner sent a message to Carlos Alcaraz during an interview with Paris Match on the eve of his Roland Garros debut. The world number one Blue is clearly the favorite in Paris partly because of the absence of his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz, who is out of action due to a wrist problem that will force him to miss Wimbledon as well.
“It’s very sad news. I know him very well on a personal level as well, and I know he is going through a very complicated time,” Sinner explained. “But at the same time, this is sport, and sport is totally unpredictable. Injuries appear and disappear. He is still very young and at the moment the first priority has to be to heal one hundred percent and not to rush, because these kinds of problems can follow you throughout your career if you don’t manage them well.”
The South Tyrolean tennis player also spoke about the possible boycott of the Slams if the prize money is not increased: “Without the athletes the tournaments are not possible to organize, and the speech does not only apply to the top 10 players, but also of all those who are in the top 100, 180, 190. We are asking for more prize money and to participate in some of the tournament decisions.”
On the court, Sinner’s debut is set for Tuesday, May 26, in an evening session on the Philippe Chatrier: the world number one will face French wild card Clement Tabur no earlier than 8:15 p.m., in the fourth and final match scheduled on center court. There is no precedent between the two. The decision to place Sinner at night is not surprising, also in light of the high temperatures that are affecting Paris these days and the presence of a home opponent, which makes the match even more suitable for the evening session.
From a ranking perspective, Sinner continues his unchallenged march to the top of world tennis. The Light Blue leads the ATP rankings with 14,700 points and will reach week number 73 as number one this week, soloing to 11th on the all-time list and edging out Stefan Edberg. But there’s more: Sinner is already mathematically certain to surpass even Lleyton Hewitt, who is stuck at 80 weeks, which means he will enter the all-time Top 10 among the longest-tenured players at the top, a milestone he will reach in mid-July regardless of results on the court.
