“At least another five years”: Here’s the forecast for Jannik Sinner

A little over two weeks ago, Jannik Sinner joined the exclusive club of tennis players who have won Wimbledon two years in a row: besides the Italian star, the list includes only legends such as Alcaraz, Djokovic, Federer, Sampras, Becker, McEnroe, Borg, Newcombe, and Laver. According to Richard Krajicek, the former Dutch champion who won Wimbledon in 1996, the South Tyrolean will continue to dominate the scene for a long time to come, alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

“I truly believe that Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev will be the three players competing at the top for at least the next three, four, or five years.” According to Krajicek, then, the duo could become a trio, because Zverev has finally broken through: “I remember when Ivan Lendl finally won his first Grand Slam. Then he started winning many more. In the end, he won eight. Perhaps something similar could happen with Zverev.”

“We saw at Wimbledon against Sinner how Zverev seemed to have much more self-confidence. Grass isn’t his best surface, but he wins close matches,” explained the former Dutch tennis player.

Of course, Carlos Alcaraz—who is currently sidelined due to a right wrist injury—could also challenge Sinner’s dominance: “It’s a really complicated injury; it’s hard to get back to playing, and you have to take it step by step. But I’m not worried about his return to the court, and I’m not worried about him regaining his full form.” Sinner, Zverev, and Alcaraz have won the last eleven Grand Slams, and their dominance currently seems unassailable—and will remain so for at least another five years, according to Krajicek.