Aryna Sabalenka has been the WTA Tour’s outstanding figurehead for years now, as a strong role model and a ruthless champion.
Her reign atop the women’s game has directly coincided with the development of one of the greatest rivalries in the ATP Tour’s history too, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner having both burst onto the scene and established themselves at the apex of their respective disciplines.
Where Aryna Sabalenka has competition from all across the board, these two men only seem to really have each other. It is why the entire tennis world craves their meetings, particularly in Grand Slam finals, even if it renders the rest of the tournament obsolete.
Now, speaking on the First&Red YouTube channel, the Belarusian has sought to pick her favourite of the two.
Aryna Sabalenka says who she prefers out of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
When first asked, she responded by saying “damn it” with a smile.
However, she swiftly found her answer: “Naturally, I prefer Jannik, because we have similar playing styles.
“I think we both have a good forehand, a good backhand, and a good serve. We also have an aggressive style of tennis, let’s say.”
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Sabalenka could not discredit Alcaraz though, and reserved plenty of time to praise the Spaniard as well: “I really like the way Alcaraz moves, the way he sees the court, the way he plays every ball. It’s clear that Carlos truly enjoys the game. There’s not a single ball he won’t try to reach.
“Alcaraz will always try until the very end. And that, of course, is really cool. And, of course, the fact that he’s open to new things. Even though he was at the top of the rankings, he still changed his serve and adjusted some things.
“It’s great because he’s young and rose to the top quite quickly. It’s nice to watch Carlos improve.”
The 28-year-old concluded with a message of impartiality: “I think it’s impossible to pick just one person in this matchup.
“When Alcaraz beat Jannik at Roland Garros 2025 after three match points, it was incredible. But at Wimbledon 2025, I was rooting for Jannik because I was really hurting for him at Roland Garros.”
Sabalenka actually said if she’d like to play against Alcaraz earlier this year, laughing as she gave her answer.
Is Aryna Sabalenka really more similar to Jannik Sinner than Carlos Alcaraz?
Whilst it might seem straightforward to suggest that Sabalenka and Sinner are naturally similar, the data perhaps suggests that such a conclusion is not so easy.
After all, whilst the current world number ones lead their respective tours in service games won, drawing natural comparisons, their actual in-point tactics differ.
The Italian favours brutal, unrelenting power from all over the court. He wears down his opponents throughout the point until they cannot deal with his mounting pressure anymore.
Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek… who do you prefer? 🤔
Sabalenka, meanwhile, opts to end the point as quickly as possible.
Her first-strike instinct and preference to favour a forehand winner therefore draw closer similarities with Alcaraz, with Sinner instead often looking to the backhand as his more dependable wing whilst making far fewer errors than his contemporaries.
So, whilst she and Sinner do both rely heavily on their serve, her forehand favouritism and penchant for blistering winners instead align more with Alcaraz.
