Carlos Alcaraz has qualities that even ‘The Big Three’ did not possess according to Jannik Sinner’s former coach, Darren Cahill.
Alcaraz is currently recovering from a wrist injury, with the seven-time Grand Slam champion not playing a match since the Barcelona Open.
This injury caused him to withdraw from Roland Garros, and Alcaraz has also pulled out of Wimbledon.
Sinner’s coach, Cahill, has now revealed how he feels about Alcaraz’s absence from the ATP Tour, claiming that he has an attribute that even Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did not.
Darren Cahill claims tennis needs Carlos Alcaraz back
Cahill was asked about Sinner’s rivalry with Alcaraz on The Big T Podcast, as he spoke about the respect they have for each other.
The Australian then continued to praise Alcaraz, claiming that tennis both misses and needs him back.
Cahill praised Alcaraz for the joy he brings on to a tennis court, which he claimed that even Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray did not do.
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“They have amazing respect for each other, both Carlos and Jannik,” said Cahill. “They’re not friends off the court, they’re not going to dinner with each other…they’re very friendly, you see them quite often sitting down talking to each other in the locker room, chatting away.
“So we miss Carlos, we want him back, the game needs him back. He brings a joy, a happiness, a smile and creativity that I don’t think even Roger, Rafa, Novak, Andy, any of those former legends brought to the game, so tennis needs him back playing, we all miss him.
“We hope he’s recovering as quickly as possible and it’s a little bit like the story you [Brad Gilbert] told me when you started coaching Andy Murray. We already had Roger and Rafa at the top of the game, but as Andy was coming through his eyes were completely focussed on Novak, he knew that Novak was the guy that was going to dominate.
“It’s a little bit the same three or four years ago when we started with Jannik, he knew that Carlos was going to be the guy and if you looked at the quotes three, four years ago, Carlos knew Jannik was going to be his main rival. So these guys were able to see it pretty early and they feel it.”
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How big could Jannik Sinner’s lead over Carlos Alcaraz be when he returns to tennis?
Sinner beat Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final to return to world number one ranking.
The Italian is currently on a 29-match winning streak, enabling Sinner to extend over Alcaraz at the top of the rankings to 2,790 points.
Sinner can continue to take advantage of Alcaraz’s absence at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and if he wins both titles he will have a huge 7,240 point lead over his biggest rival.
| ATP Rankings | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Current ranking point total | 14,750 | 11,960 |
| Points defending up to and including Wimbledon | 3,350 | 3,800 |
| Maximum points they can gain up to and including Wimbledon | 4,000 | 0 |
| Maximum ranking points total after Wimbledon | 15,400 | 8,160 |
There is still some way to this happening, despite Sinner being the huge favorite to win Roland Garros this year.
Sinner will play his first round match at Roland Garros this year against Clement Tabur on Tuesday, May 26.
