Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are two of the best players in the world as of now and the latter, despite being two years younger, has proven to be better than the Italian with two Grand Slams to his name.
Former tennis star Tim Henman believed that although Alcaraz had always been the superior player, Sinner’s performances by the end of the year closed the gap between the two.
“It looks like when Sinner and Alcaraz have played, they've had incredible matches. They are different personalities. They've got similar games. I think Alcaraz has got a little bit more versatility but in terms of ball striking and power from the back of the court, Sinner is phenomenal,” he said.
“I felt that Alcaraz was definitely a good step ahead of Sinner but the way Sinner played at the end of last year, I think Sinner has absolutely closed the gap.”
Alcaraz and Sinner last met one another in the China Open where the latter emerged victorious after a dominant display in straight sets (7-6, 6-1).
The two faced each other three times in 2023, where the Italian emerged victorious twice while Alacaraz only managed to win one.
Overall, the Spaniard enjoyed 2023 as he clinched six titles. The start was particularly good which saw him win the Indian Wells Masters, Madrid and Barcelona Open, and most notably, Wimbledon 2023, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in a five-set battle.
However, his level dropped after his triumph in London. On the other hand, Sinner performed exceptionally in the second half of the year as he defeated Djokovic in the ATP Finals in a round-robin encounter and also helped Italy win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1976.
As of now, Alcaraz is ranked second in the ATP Rankings while Sinner is fourth.
Although Djokovic dominated the 2023 season with three Grand Slams to his name, it will be interesting to see if anyone would challenge the Serbian next year or not.
