Former ATP World No. 1 Jim Courier has likened the Jannik Sinner–Carlos Alcaraz rivalry to Martina Navratilova–Chris Evert’s feud, not the Big Three. The Spaniard defeated Sinner to win the US Open final, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Alcaraz and Sinner are the top two players in men’s tennis at the moment. They’ve locked horns consecutively in the last three Grand Slam finals on tour.
While Carlos Alcaraz claimed the honours in Paris and New York, Jannik Sinner rose to the occasion in London this year. Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier feels their rivalry resembles Navratilova and Evert’s feud more than the Big Three.
Here’s what he said after the US Open final:
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"I know we're going to talk, obviously we're going to compare these guys to the big three, but for me right now, the only comparison I think is apt is Martina and Chrissy, because they are just meeting in final after final. Maybe Roger and Rafa had that for a while before Novak got better. Still, you know there were waves in Chrissy and Martina's rivalry where one of them had like six or seven wins, and then the other would win like eight of nine, so these things can change," Jim Courier said. (0:47 onwards)
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert faced each other 22 times at the Majors. The former came out on top 14 times, including 10 wins in finals.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have already battled six times in Grand Slams so far. The Spaniard leads 4-2 and has defeated Sinner twice in three finals.
Courier felt that Sinner needed to find a way to tackle Alcaraz in the future. He also mentioned the Italian losing a couple of close finals.
"Jannik is not going to rest easily until he finds a way to get through there with more consistency. He's lost a lot of close ones, to be fair, too, in that run. He's had match points. It's not like he's getting blown out all the time, but then obviously the numbers don't lie there," Courier added.
With the US Open win, Carlos Alcaraz increased his head-to-head record with Sinner to 10-5 and catapulted himself to the top of the ATP Men's Singles rankings.
"There are some similarities in the way we played" - Chris Evert compares Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz rivalry to her battles with Martina Navratilova
Tennis legend Chris Evert has shared her thoughts on the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner rivalry on tour. She couldn't help but notice the similarities between them and her feud with Martina Navratilova.
Here's what the American said during a previous interview:
“There are some similarities in the way we played. I was the steady consistent one and Martina was the one who had all the shots in the book. You look at Alcaraz and Sinner now and Carlos is the one with all the options and Sinner is the steady one," Chris Evert said.
Evert defeated Navratilova to win four Major titles in the past. Her last victory against the Czech-American came at the French Open in 1986.
The 70-year-old felt Jack Draper had an outside chance to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. She also urged the media to allow the Briton to focus on his game.
“It’s going to be an interesting rivalry, and I can’t see anyone coming into it to challenge those two. Maybe Jack Draper is the one to watch. I didn’t even realise he had jumped up so high in the rankings, but he has a big game,"
“He is so fit, good looking boy. He has a lot going for him and I just hope the press leave him alone in the UK because it would be great to see him challenging Alcaraz and Sinner,” she added.
Evert was present at the US Open this year. She handed the winner's trophy to Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final on Saturday.
