September 24, 2024 | 2:34 PM
READING TIME: 2 minutes
Jannik Sinner ‘against’ Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian world number 1 and the Spaniard take opposite positions in the latest debate that is animating tennis. The 2024 season is about to end: the last tournaments are missing, then the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup.
A final tour de force for the big names of the racket, who between the end of September and the beginning of October go hunting for titles and points in Asia: the game is in Chengdu while the Beijing tournament begins, where Sinner and Alcaraz are candidates to clash in the final. In the meantime, the engines are warmed up in Tokyo and then it’s off to Shanghai for the Masters 1000.
More than one option for those who want to seek glory in the Far East with a busy, very busy schedule. Even too busy, according to Alcaraz after the Laver Cup, another event that – with less stress – led the ATP elite to produce an extra effort.
What Alcaraz says
“We play too much and somehow they will kill us. Many good tennis players at this stage of the season risk having to give up tournaments due to injuries”, says the Spaniard. “Sometimes, I don’t want to leave to play a tournament. I would like to stay with family and friends, I have felt that way a few times: there are moments when I am not motivated at all”, says Alcaraz, who returned to a theme partially addressed already at the US Open.
The early elimination, in the second round, was also justified by the Spaniard with a questionable mental approach: “In tennis you play against someone who wants exactly what you want: to win the match. You have to be as calm as possible to reflect and do the right things. I was playing against my opponent and, on a mental level, also against myself”.
What Sinner says
On the other side of the net, in the debate, there is Sinner. The Italian has played 60 matches so far this year, winning 55. The prospect of closing 2024 with over 80 matches in his curriculum is concrete. “The calendar is quite long, but you have to choose where to play. Of course, there are mandatory tournaments that cannot be skipped: but a player can still choose”, he says, indicating his solution.
“You don’t have to play: if you want, you play; if you don’t want, you don’t play. I too, this year or last season, skipped certain tournaments because I thought it was more appropriate to train. These are choices and strategies in a season that is certainly long and complex,” he adds.
#Sinner #Alcaraz #opponents #pitch #discussion