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Jannik Sinner's ex-coach Riccardo Piatti has defended Carlos Alcaraz amid his shaky form on tour. The Italian believes the latter will be more mature in the coming years.
While Sinner has been serving his doping ban, Alcaraz was last seen in action at the Miami Open. Despite a valiant effort against David Goffin, the Spaniard was eliminated in the second round 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Piatti hailed the early success of Alcaraz's career and urged critics to go easy on the Spaniard. He also opined that the four-time Major champion would become more mature in the next few years.
'I see a moment of transition. At the top there is a very grown Sinner. Alcaraz is chasing, but don't crucify him: he already has four Slams, he was only born in 2003, he is building his life and career. Maturity will also arrive," Jannik Sinner's ex-coach said in an Corriere dello Sport.
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Alcaraz has made a decent start to the season by amassing 15 wins from 19 matches, including a title-winning run in the Rotterdam Open. He also reached the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open but couldn't make his mark against Jack Draper.
Piatti, who coached the likes of Maria Sharapova and Milos Raonic also felt that the current top players were honest enough to know where they stood on tour. He compared them to the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, famously known as the Big Three.
"Sinner knows who he is, from the beginning. The Big Three have always known. Alcaraz knows every other day," he added
"It forces me to practise even harder every day"- Carlos Alcaraz on watching Jannik Sinner win titles on tour
Carlos Alcaraz feels that Jannik Sinner forces him to improve his game on tour. The duo is among the top two players in men's tennis at the moment.
While Alcaraz has four Grand Slam titles so far, Sinner isn't too far behind with three Major titles on tour. He recently captured the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.
Alcaraz spoke about his rivalry with Sinner and how it forces him to stay on top of his game.
"Probably if I have a bad day against Jannik, it’s 99 percent that you are going to lose. That’s what is in my mind every time I’m going to play against him," Carlos Alcaraz said on his rivalry with Jannik Sinner in January 2025 (via Australian Open).
“The good thing for me is when I am seeing him win titles, when I’m seeing him in the top of the ranking, it forces me to practise even harder every day. In practice, I’m just thinking about the things that I have to improve to play against him," he added.
While Alcaraz will feature next in the Monte-Carlo Masters, Sinner is expected to return at the Italian Open in Rome. The Monte-Carlo Masters begin on April 5, 2025.
