Carlos Alcaraz seems to possess the secret code to cracking Jannik Sinner’s game—something no other competitor on the ATP Tour has managed to consistently figure out. The young Spaniard’s recent straight-sets triumph over Sinner in the Italian Open final not only snapped the world No. 1’s impressive winning streak but also sent a clear warning to the rest of the field ahead of his Roland Garros title defense.
The head-to-head record between these two rising titans leans in Alcaraz’s favor, with the scoreboard reading 7-4. And according to former world No. 1 and TNT Sports pundit Mats Wilander, there are two standout traits in Alcaraz’s arsenal that repeatedly unsettle Sinner like no one else can.
Speed and Shotmaking: The Twin Terrors
“The main reason why Sinner struggles against Alcaraz is he is so fast at doing everything,” Wilander told Tennis365.
“The other reason Jannik doesn’t like playing against him he has a big forehand and that can knock you off balance.”
It’s a mix of raw pace and relentless power that gives Alcaraz the edge. While Sinner is known for his blistering baseline game and punishing forehands that skim off the court with terrifying precision, Alcaraz’s quick-footed retrievals and his heavy topspin forehand blunt the Italian’s usual rhythm. His capacity to strike the ball early with minimal unforced errors often overwhelms his opponents—but Alcaraz is built differently.
Wilander highlighted just how rare Alcaraz’s speed is, suggesting that his court coverage allows him to retrieve balls that most players would barely get a racket on.
“That is too much for a lot of people, but Alacarz is so quick that he can get to a lot of the balls other players cannot reach,” he said.
Whereas most opponents are left guessing when Sinner has time to line up a forehand, Alcaraz’s speed puts him in a better position to read and respond to those big shots.
“When Sinner has a forehand and time to hit it, the other players have to guess left or right to have a chance to get it. Carlos doesn’t have that problem so much as he is super fast.”
The Turning Point in Rome
Recalling the Rome final, Wilander described how the momentum shifted dramatically as the match progressed.
“I was in the front row watching their Rome final a few weeks back and for the first half an hour it looked like Alcaraz was struggling to hang with Sinner.
Then he started to absorb the power coming at him and found a way to swing it in his favour.”
He emphasized that Sinner had the upper hand early on and could well have taken the first set, but Alcaraz’s ability to adapt and redirect the pace flipped the script.
“Okay, Sinner could have won the first set of that match and it could have been a different result, but you could see that Alcaraz was getting used to absorbing the pace and when he then got Jannik doing things he didn’t want to do, the match turned in his favour.”
Taking Sinner Out of His Comfort Zone
Beyond speed and forehand firepower, Wilander pointed to another critical tactic—Alcaraz’s ability to force Sinner out of his favored baseline comfort zone using deft dropshots and low skidding balls.
“It’s not just about trying to bring Jannik forward that is the secret for Alcaraz’s success against him,” Wilander observed.
The Italian thrives when he’s planted firmly behind the baseline, dictating rallies with heavy, early groundstrokes. But that same grounded stance can become a vulnerability when he’s forced to scramble forward.
“What we see with Sinner is he likes to be on the base line hitting balls so hard and so early, but that means he is not always on his toes. His feet are fully on the ground so he can develop that power.
So when he has to deal with drop shots and low balls that force him to come forward, that is not where he wants to be.
It gets him off balance. Not just with his feet but in his mind as well.”
That mental disruption, combined with physical imbalance, breaks the fluency of Sinner’s baseline dominance and allows Alcaraz to manipulate points on his terms.
A Roland Garros Collision Course?
Both Alcaraz and Sinner are carving through the French Open draw like hot knives through clay, each displaying the form and fitness needed to make a deep run. Should the tennis gods align and grant fans the dream final, it would mark their first showdown in a Grand Slam title match—a collision between the current top two seeds and arguably the two most explosive young talents in men’s tennis.
If that blockbuster finale unfolds, expect Alcaraz’s speed and that monster forehand to again become central to the storyline. And with Sinner keen to turn the tide in their rivalry, the potential Parisian clash could be the kind of high-stakes duel that defines this new era of the sport.