The way in which Jannik Sinner strolled to the Madrid Open title was frightening.
After all, he did so without breaking a sweat, dropping just a single set in the very first round, and going flawless from that point onwards.
His performance in the final was particularly impressive, although he did come up against a poor version of Alexander Zverev, who himself admitted afterwards that ‘anyone’ could have beaten him on the day.
Alas, it is this lack of competition for Jannik Sinner over the last few weeks and months that suggests the ATP Tour has a serious problem looming.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continue to win everything
Before Carlos Alcaraz’s injury ruled him out of Roland Garros, both he and Sinner had taken turns dominating the ATP Tour this year.
The Spaniard started the year winning the Australian Open and another title in Qatar, before Sinner started his Masters 1000 rampage again with triumphs at Indian Wells and Miami.
How worried are you about Carlos Alcaraz’s injury?
Carlos Alcaraz will miss Rome and Roland Garros…
It has become the norm to see these two reach final after final, and when both are present in an event, one of them is almost always guaranteed to win it.
However, with Alcaraz injured for the foreseeable future, any variance in title winner seems to have completely gone out the window.
Sinner has won all of the last four tournaments he has played, dropping just two sets across all of these events. It really feels like nobody can challenge him, and this is a worry.
The ATP Tour has a problem if Carlos Alcaraz is injured for a while
Whilst Alcaraz’s return date remains unconfirmed, the hope is that he will be back for the grass season.
However, if he faces any complications that prolong his absence, Sinner could establish a one-man dominance over the men’s game that might completely remove all jeopardy from the sport.
Already, his monopoly in Masters 1000 events is evident, having won all of the last five.
When does Jannik Sinner next lose a tennis match? 👀
But with Roland Garros just around the corner, and the reigning champion ruled out, it’s expected that Sinner will stroll to that title as well.
Then, should Alcaraz not be back for the grass season, or struggle to return to full fitness quickly, the world number one could end up successfully defending his Wimbledon title as well with minimal fuss.
Even beyond that, when the tour returns to hard courts, Sinner will be departing grass for his favourite surface. It’s hard to see when he might lose again without a top-level Alcaraz there to compete.
