Jannik Sinner once again proved why he is by far the best player in the world yesterday, pulverising Alexander Zverev to claim the Madrid Open title.
The 6-1, 6-2 scoreline was wholly indicative of a one-sided affair, where the world number one swiftly took the lead and showed no signs of losing it throughout.
He was imperious, with serving that afforded his opponent no entry point into the match. Meanwhile, errors were routinely flying off the Zverev racket.
This result, with Jannik Sinner comfortably beating the world number three, has led many to worry about the competitiveness of the ATP Tour, particularly with Carlos Alcaraz ruled out through injury for the foreseeable future.
The Italian has been discussing this very phenomenon in his post-final press conference.
Jannik Sinner assesses the strength of his competition in the ATP Tour
Asked if he had faced any particularly tough matches during his incredible win streak at Masters 1000 tournaments, and if he saw any potential challengers ready to break through, Sinner first cited Novak Djokovic.
“He beat me in Australia playing great tennis, incredible tennis,” he argued, before suggesting that he cannot predict the future.
When does Jannik Sinner next lose a tennis match? 👀
However, when another reporter seemed to reiterate that question, Sinner offered a few choice names, admitting: “It’s tough to say because, you know, I also don’t like to answer these kinds of questions.
“You have to be careful. There are great players, players we know, who seem like they are coming, and they are actually there already.
“But at the same time, you never know. Someone like Jodar, six months ago, nobody saw, and he’s now here around the names.
“Maybe this can happen in a couple of months, there is a new player coming. Blockx made semis here, and before he was a little bit undercover. It’s very tough to say. I think great, great potential players, everyone. You need to be ready. You need to inform yourself. With every name what’s going to come, you need to be very much informed.”
Sinner spoke about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal immediately after the final, and was once again keen to distance himself from these legends despite what he continues to achieve.
Alexander Block’s breakthrough month of April
Whilst the entire world has justifiably been gushing over Rafael Jodar, Alexander Blockx is another youngster who has been quietly putting in some incredible performances.
And, it’s worth noting that he reached the semi-finals of the Madrid Open, actually outperforming the Spanish teenager.
Just 21 years old himself, he has enjoyed a stunning last month, reaching the Round of 16 in Monte Carlo before earning a career-best run in the Spanish capital.
Which ATP youngster will win a Masters 1000 title first?
Joao Fonseca, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, or Alexander Blockx…
Along the way, he also claimed some huge scalps, with wins over stars like Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Flavio Cobolli.
As such, the Belgian now sits 36th in the live rankings, with Mario Bartoli praising Blockx after he lost to Zverev just last week.
The sky is the limit for the 21-year-old, and Sinner is right to pinpoint him as a potential threat in the future.
