Jannik Sinner has closed the gap to Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP rankings after winning the Miami Open.
After unexpected results in Australia and the Middle East, Sinner has steadied the ship, winning titles in Indian Wells and Miami.
Sinner is now only the eighth man in tennis history to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same calendar year, joining the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jim Courier and Roger Federer.
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The reaction to Sinner’s early season losses was always overblown: simply put, one cannot expect these athletes – even the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz – to win every single match they play.
Speaking of Alcaraz, the Spaniard can learn from his rival’s early struggles after suffering two surprising losses in America.
Jannik Sinner’s form was overly scrutinised
Earlier this year, Jannik Sinner suffered an unexpected loss to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
A few weeks later, his woes were compounded by Jakub Mensik, who defeated the Italian in the Qatar Open quarter-finals.
Of course, these losses were surprising – Sinner is, after all, usually a picture of consistency.
However, the reaction to these losses was overblown.
Sinner suffered two losses, and yes, these were out of character.
However, the forthcoming scrutiny of his form was completely disproportionate when considering all that the Italian had achieved before the start of this year.
Sinner did well to ignore the noise, and has proven every critic wrong over the last month.
Carlos Alcaraz now finds himself in a similar situation, having lost two of his last three matches on the ATP Tour.
Again, much of the reaction has been over the top, and Alcaraz would do well to take a leaf from Sinner’s book and dismiss any undue criticism that may come his way.
Pablo Carreno Busta discusses Carlos Alcaraz’s start to the 2026 season
Pablo Carreno Busta, a former US Open semi-finalist, has commented on Alcaraz’s split from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and the Spaniard’s recent form in a conversation with Flashscore.
“The whole Ferrero thing was a bit unexpected, I think for everyone, maybe even for them,” the Spaniard said.
“But life goes on, right? It won’t be the first or last time something like that happens.
“I think Carlos had a fantastic, unbeatable start to the season. He indeed lost in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, and in Miami, he may have looked a bit mentally tired, but in the end, we’re all human. It’s normal to have a little dip at some point.
“But Carlos’s start to the season has been fabulous, and I’m sure he’ll be back to his best on the clay swing.”
One cannot argue with Carreno Busta’s take. Alcaraz’s start to the year has been incredibly impressive, and one expects the Spaniard to impress tennis fans once again with his scintillating play on clay-courts.
