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Tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann has shared her opinion on the growing rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and the weight that they carry in Grand Slam conversations.
Alcaraz and Sinner, who were last seen in action in the Round of 16 of the Shanghai Masters, have captivated tennis fans with their budding rivalry over the past two years. Having faced each other thrice this year, the young competitors are locked in a neck-and-neck battle, with the Italian leading by one extra win in the seven tour-level matches they have contested.
Just last week, Sinner earned the edge by claiming his fourth win over the Spaniard in the semifinals of the ATP 500 event in Beijing. The former then went on to record his first-ever win against World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the final to lift his ninth career title.
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Sinner subsequently reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4.
When asked about the Italian’s likelihood of winning Grand Slams, tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann opined that he is being overlooked due to the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz, who has already won two Majors – the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
“Jannik Sinner’s been a little bit overlooked. It’s been all about Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik’s the one that really gives Alcaraz that tough battle. Besides Djokovic, he’s that player. It’s his toughest competitor,” she said at 08:40 on the ‘Rachel Stuhlmann & the Fall Swing’ episode of the Match Point Canada podcast.
The China Open in Beijing is Jannik Sinner’s third title of the year. He won his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Toronto and the ATP 250 in Montpellier earlier this season. The 22-year-old additionally featured in two other finals – the ATP 500 in Rotterdam and the Masters 1000 in Miami.
Stuhlmann reiterated her stance and observed that Sinner has now started proving himself.
“I feel like he has been overlooked, but, he’s young. He got that big win in Canada; he got this win last week. I think he’s really starting to prove himself,” she added.
"It's not just Carlos Alcaraz, it's Novak Djokovic; Jannik Sinner is in the equation as well" – Rachel Stuhlmann
Rachel Stuhlmann then mentioned Jannik Sinner’s past struggles with injuries. The Italian was unable to unleash his full potential in the 2022 season following multiple injury-related withdrawals.
The tennis influencer opined that Sinner’s success in 2023 can be mainly attributed to him staying healthy.
“I think that’s been really good. I think a big piece to his game is his ability to stay healthy, which has been a little bit difficult for him in the past,” she said on the Match Point Canada podcast.
it is also worth noting that Jannik Sinner made his Major breakthrough this season by reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon. Rachel Stuhlmann suggested that the Italian can give World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz a run for their money at Grand Slams if he is able to stay healthy and compete at his highest level.
“It’s not just Alcaraz, it’s Djokovic. Like, Jannik is in the equation as well,” she added. “If he can stay healthy, if he can keep competing at the level that he is, I think he is absolutely in that Slam conversation.”
