Carlos Alcaraz development 'scary' says Laura Robson as she discusses Spaniard's 'outrageous' level
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/04/2023 at 10:47 GMT
After six match-ups so far in their career, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have three wins each, with one semi-final victory apiece in 2023. Their latest encounter was at the Miami Open, won by Sinner. With the pair set to dominate the future of tennis, former Wimbledon junior champion and now Eurosport expert, Laura Robson, anticipates an enduring rivalry between the star duo.
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Laura Robson believes that Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami Open performance level was “insane” and predicted a great rivalry to come with Jannik Sinner.
Sinner was the winner against his Spanish rival at the semi-final stage in Florida, but would go on to be the losing finalist against Daniil Medvedev.
The pair share a 3-3 record in their head-to-head so far, and Alcaraz emerged as the victor in their other meeting this year, another semi-final, at Indian Wells.
Alcaraz is 19 years old, two years younger than Sinner, but he already boasts a No. 1 ranking in his career, and has one Grand Slam - the US Open last year - to his name.
Speaking to Eurosport's Arnold Montgault, Robson predicted even more to come from the teenager.
She said: “Honestly, Alcaraz's level in that whole tournament [Miami] was insane.
"I kind of struggle to imagine him improving even more, but he's just got so much more ability that you feel like he could get to, which is almost the scary part for all of his opponents as he continues to develop as a player because you forget how young he is and how little time he's really spent on the tour, and yet he's just outrageous.
“I just love how much he enjoys the challenge of competing, and every match that he plays, whether he's playing really good or having a bit of a tougher day, it just looks like he loves the competition and playing in front of a crowd, soaking up the atmosphere.
"He's just a joy to watch.”
Discussing the potential for an enduring Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry, Robson continued: “I just think it's a match-up for the future that's going to be so fun for the fans on any surface.
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Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is congratulated by Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semi final during the BNP Paribas Open on March 18, 2023 in Indian Wells, California.
Image credit: Getty Images
"When you think of how they could potentially play on the grass because that's a favourite surface of Sinner, who enjoys the faster surfaces.
“The amount of respect that they have for each other as well, pre- and post-match, they just have nothing but good things to say about the other player.
"It seems like when they come on court, they know they have to be at 100% against each other because of the game styles, how hard they can hit the ball, how well they move, they kind of do everything extremely well.
“So it's just about finding another 5% here and there, which I thought Sinner was able to do. He was able to come forward a little bit more than he usually does and he kind of is expecting the drop shots now from Alcaraz.
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"I think it's really fun to watch the kind of different tactics every time they play each other now because there's just going to be something really small that makes a huge difference and it's always going to be a close match, I think, just because of how well they're able to hit the ball.”
Despite Sinner trailing Alcaraz at the top of the sport, Robson thinks it will not take much for him to get a break.
“You look at the matches that he played [in Miami], he had some unbelievable wins, which for him is just a step in the right direction,” she noted.
“You feel like it's just going to be a matter of time before he wins one of those big ones or he gets that huge result in a slam that he's been looking for because he's one of the most talented players out there. I have never heard a cleaner ball strike from the side of the court than what I hear from his game.
“It's inevitable really. It feels like he's right there, but the draw gods haven't aligned for him yet.”
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