Jannik Sinner’s ‘huge asset’ against Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic highlighted
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Tennis expert and respected coach Mark Petchey believes Jannik Sinner has one “huge” advantage over Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
Sinner is the defending champion at the season-opening Grand Slam and he will also start the tournament as the world No 1 and top seed.
He is most people’s favourite to win a third major after a dominant 2024 season saw him win eight trophies, including two Slams and the ATP Finals, while he also steered Italy to a second consecutive Davis Cup title.
Although Petchey feels it will be tight between Sinner, third seed Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, he feels the Italian’s “brutal” game will be too much for the rest of the competitors in the heat in Australia.
“In the men’s draw, it’s wafer thin between the likes of Jannik, Carlos and Novak,” he told Betway. “If pushed, I would go with Sinner again given just how unbelievably solid he’s been, especially over five sets.
“Playing his pace of ground shot consistently in that heat over three to four hours is just brutal on the physical side of things for his opponents. That’s a huge asset for him as he takes their legs away with his style of play.”
Last year Sinner came from two sets to love down in the final to beat Daniil Medvedev 3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3 in three hours and 44 minutes with his groundstrokes too good for the Russian.
And that was pretty much the recipe for the rest of the year as he finished the year with a 73-6 record.
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In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will look to become the sixth player after Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.
Like Sinner, the Belarusian is also the overwhelming favourite as she has lost only one match on Australian soil since the start of the 2023 season – and that was in the Brisbane final last year.
Her main rivals will be world No 2 Iga Swiatek along with WTA Finals champion Coco Gauff.
But Petchey feels it is difficult to look past the top seed.
“It’s tough to look past last year’s champions, to be honest, the way that they play on a hard court,” he added. “Aryna Sabalenka is going to be re-energized. She’s got some time off. She loves those conditions. She knows how to win it. I think they suit her style of game.”
