Carlos Alcaraz’s coach gifts Jannik Sinner perfect plan to beat his player at French Open | Tennis | Sport
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach has shared the perfect strategy for Jannik Sinner to use against his man. The young rivals will face off for the ninth time in the semi-final of the French Open – their biggest meeting yet.
There were question marks surrounding both men coming into the tournament after they suffered injuries during the clay swing but they are the only Grand Slam champions left in the draw at this stage.
However, Juan Carlos Ferrero still believes that part of Alcaraz’s game is vulnerable and he gave Sinner the blueprint to win their semi-final after the Spaniard picked up a forearm injury earlier in the season.
“We kind of missed playing the clay season from start to finish, which is always important to us,” Ferrero said ahead of the semis. A former French Open champion himself, Alcaraz’s coach also hinted that Sinner could attack his man’s forehand.
He continued: “Then, as for hitting his forehand at 100 per cent, right now I’d say he’s at 95 per cent. He’s still struggling to hit it naturally like he did before because an arm injury like that always means your mind is slightly on it.”
Alcaraz also reached the semi-final 12 months ago, splitting sets with Novak Djokovic before he got nervous and started cramping, barely winning a game for the rest of the match. But Ferrero thinks that the world No. 3 was even less of a favourite coming into the tournament this year.
“Maybe he’s still not at the same level as last year, but I don’t like making comparisons. Given the situation we arrived in, he’s at a great level. I think last year’s situation was different,” he explained.
“We arrived with a lot of confidence and that makes everything come off more naturally. This time he’s had to grow into it. I think the results he’s had so far are very important for his head and his confidence: winning matches, seeing that his arm is okay, gradually gaining the confidence he needs… Comparing him with last year is very difficult because of the lack of matches. Hopefully he ends up at the exceptional level we know he is capable of.”
After giving away some tactics for Alcaraz’s rival, the Spanish tennis player-turned-coach confessed that they also had a plan to face Sinner. He added: “I think Sinner will try and keep improving every day because he’s very young, as Carlos is, and they are both trying to get better every day.
“There’s a strategy for [the match]. Of course, if you don’t go out with a clear strategy against Sinner, if you don’t have a clear idea of how you’re going to play, there are always a lot of complications because you don’t know what to play. Just like Jannik knows how he has to play, Carlos also knows. The thing is that they’re both so good that they have great belief.”
