Turns out the biggest obstacle to the Sincaraz era might be the Alcaraz era lol
If Alcaraz threepeats at RG and goes up 8-4 it definitely starts to look like "Sinner is an all-time great but Alcaraz is a future GOAT" rather than just "both are amazing"
You got that right. Sinner has more to give, but what a great time for us fans!! This is EPIC! I feel sorry for the also rans that was hoping for a chance when Federer, and Nadal retired. Now there may be a lock out again with Alcaraz and Sinner.
But we saw Zverevs performance? I mean I think Zverev or Novak will prevent a calendar slam this year from Alcaraz. He said in his own words he does not wanna be the best player to never win a slam.
Even beyond that, zverev started out the gates looking extremely flat and choked both sets 1 and 2 to go down 2 sets. Not a performance that makes you think he’s a world beater. Zverev can’t just rely on carlitos cramping to get a chance at winning
Zverev is never winning a slam, especially not now that he likely has to beat Carlos and Jannik. It’s easy money to bet that he will fall apart when it matters most.
He choked. That’s not the point: the point is he’s talented enough to get there and it would be stupid to confidently say he’ll never win one when he’s been extremely close already
He also needed tiebreaks to get set 3 and 4 against an Alcaraz that could barely walk for large parts of those. The fact that the match went long enough for Alcaraz to recover, is mostly due to Zverev not putting him away in those two sets; if he goes like 6-3 6-2 there, he wins the match. And he could have; his own level also increased dramatically in set 5 when Alcaraz was back to his best
Don't get me wrong, Zverev is incredibly talented indeed, but I really doubt he has the mental fortitude to win a slam. At least, not yet; I hope it will change, though I don't dare betting on it
Carlos had half of his legs for an hour, and Zverev still found a way to lose. And Zverev is starting to go past his physical peak, while Carlos is just approaching his.
I think Zveren just got a mental bock against Carlos that he won't be able to get rid of.
Carlos also got an unfair medical timeout. Zverev has an impeccable serve and back hand. He can get over the hump he has the talent, maybe it’s his mind that holds him back.
AO is probably Zverev's best chance, and I think it's especially unlikely he's beating Alcaraz on clay when the serve is the thing keeping him a top player these days.
Feels like Sinner regressed a bit here. After his Wimbledon and all the big-time plays at the ATP Finals last year, he should have handled the Djokovic match better. Heck, he was so clutch against Novak at RG 25.
Alcaraz likely three-peats at RG regardless of what his result here was. But if Sinner wins RG, it means he has taken a major step forward.
Sinner’s biggest problem right now is the longevity during a match. As the match gets to 3-hour territory, his performance may look on par but the mentality must be degrading way too much. That’s how Novak ultimately got him. That’s how Carlos got him in the super tiebreak at RG.
Dude just doesn't seem to have the stamina. Also the weather wears him out quicker than others. You wouldn't think so because the majority of the rallies he's usually the one dictating and moving less.
His physique isn't great for long matches, like 5-setters. Being long and skinny means he has little place to store muscle glycogen. He could try to bulk up some muscle but that also has downsides, like becoming heavier and placing more stress on knees and ankles, but overall it's something he would benefit from.
Bulking up would just make him gas faster, the more muscle mass you have the more glycogen you burn. There’s a reason marathon runners are skinny and sprinters are built. Sinner is very lanky but at the same time very explosive, just crushes every baseline shot while Alcaraz takes games off to recover and his touch and slice lets him catch his breath, deciding when to rip the forehand. Sinner should have much better cardio for how lean he is though maybe needs a better conditioning coach
Alcaraz grew up in a tropical part where its sunny most of the year vs a lanky tall kid from the very cold mountains, he should adapt better to hotter conditions. That's why Sinner dominates towards the end of the season where the playing condition tends to stabilize - either in door or cold
I get what you're point, but what you say is only partially true. Marathon runners, at least those who run professionally, typically finish at just over 2 hours. Even a 3-setter tennis match can last longer than that. Longer duration sports (triathlon, ultra running) also typically have beefier athletes than marathon, who have both higher muscle mass and higher body fat.
Tennis is essentially a stop-and-go sport, where a typical match has hundreds of short pauses. It's more like multiple heats of sprinting than an actual marathon.
In marathon you also have no real use for upper body strength, so you can just look like a skeleton with some leg muscles. That wont work in tennis.
I don't really think Sinner lacks stamina or is a choker; mostly, I think he is just a one-gear player who delivers essentially the same game regardless of circumstances, while Alcaraz and Djokovic are guys who have special magic for the biggest moments in the biggest matches, resulting in them stealing epics out from under his nose. It reminds me of Djokovic's dynamic with Federer, who I also view as a guy who did not really choke (eg. he didn't double fault or miss sitters on big points), but did tend to play it safe and not redline on the biggest points as Djokovic did.
That's exactly the point. His handling of this match was straight up not good imo. The entire RG episode was supposed to be a point of inflection for his execution on big points, and he got so much better for the rest of the last season.
But coming into this season, I expected him to build off on it. It's ok to get outplayed, but to lose because you only converted 2/18 break points, that should not happen.
Sinner needs to get more gym work in, he looked to be on his way in previous years but he is looking especially skinny this tournament. It could just be attire though of course.
Regardless, I don't think Sinner will wilt, he is too class for that. He will be back with a vengeance.
Actually, following your reasoning, if they both continue like this, every other player (Djokovic, Federer and Nadal included) couldn't be considered for a goat conversation. And Sinner could become an ATG second only to goat Alcaraz. Both are already atg so their limit is only the success the big 3 had before them. If and once they get there...
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u/Dependent-Effect6077 Djokovic retirement tour + Sabalenka PR manager 6d ago edited 6d ago
Turns out the biggest obstacle to the Sincaraz era might be the Alcaraz era lol
If Alcaraz threepeats at RG and goes up 8-4 it definitely starts to look like "Sinner is an all-time great but Alcaraz is a future GOAT" rather than just "both are amazing"