Rafael Nadal‘s uncle Toni Nadal claimed Carlos Alcaraz suffered a drop in his level after winning the first set in the Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner. The two young rivals were pitted against each other for consecutive times in the Grand Slam finals.
Alcaraz couldn’t repeat what he did when they met in the French Open final last month. He came from two sets down and saved three championship points in the fourth set to eke out the win in five sets, which included three tie-breakers.
In the Wimbledon final too, Sinner had three championship points in the fourth set but he avoided his French Open mistakes and capitalized on his lead to deny the 22-year-old a three-peat at SW19. Following the match, Nadal, in his column for El Pais, analyzed the final and explained what went wrong for the five-time Grand Slam champion.
His intensity dropped slightly, his play became more intermittent and erratic, and he gradually lost faith in his chances of victory. From that moment until the end of the match, we never saw him comfortable on the court.
Sinner has improved his head-to-head record over Alcaraz to 5-8. It was also his first win over the World No.2 after five consecutive defeats.
In contrast, the Italian calmed his game, began to look more solid, increased his first serve percentage, decisively attacked Alcaraz’s second serve, and also increased the speed of his exchanges. When Sinner manages to impose his very high and consistent rhythm, his opponents’ chances of winning, including Carlos’s, decrease drastically.
Toni Nadal added
Alcaraz had played his third consecutive Wimbledon final and had he won, he would have become the fifth man after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic to win three Wimbledon titles on the trot. He would have also become the second man after Borg to complete the Channel Slam for consecutive seasons.
John Isner shares what he thinks Jannik Sinner does better than other players
John Isner lauded Jannik Sinner‘s coach Darren Cahill after observing how Sinner has improved his game at the net. Isner thinks Sinner didn’t look comfortable going forward to win points but now it’s not the case anymore.
The former World No.8 also thinks no player at present is better than Sinner when it comes to playing from the baseline. He also pointed out how Carlos Alcaraz too was saying the same during their Wimbledon final.
I mean Sinner right now from the back of the court, you have to say, there is nobody better in the world. That is the reason why he is number one in the world.
John Isner said on the Nothing Major podcast
Sinner could part ways with Cahill after this season. They had a bet before the final and according to it, it would be up to Sinner whether he would still want the Aussie coach in his team. Coach Simone Vagnozzi will continue to be a part of his entourage the next season.
Jannik Sinner lifted his second title of the season at Wimbledon
Sinner kick-started the season at the Australian Open, which he defended by breezing past World No.3 Alexander Zverev. Next, he served the three-month doping suspension he was handed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The 24-year-old made his comeback at the Italian Open and reached the final there for the first title. But his second clay-court title eluded him as he lost in straight sets to Alcaraz.
Next was the French Open which he lost. Following the heartbreak, Sinner for the first time since the Canadian Open last August failed to reach a final when he played the Halle Open, losing in the second round to eventual winner Alexander Bublik. Now that he has won Wimbledon, he just needs the French Open to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Also read: Boris Becker Reveals Jannik Sinner’s Biggest Opponent After Heroic Wimbledon Title Win
