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Boris Becker asked for his prediction on Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz showdown
By Kevin Palmer,
2024-06-05
Boris Becker gives Tennis365 his verdict on Alcaraz vs Sinner
Boris Becker rocked back in his chair as he was presented with a question from Tennis365 that he simply could not answer.
Tennis365 got a chance to quiz the tennis legend as a dramatic French Open closes in on a thrilling conclusion and we will get the semi-final match-up we all wanted on Friday.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz headed to Roland Garros with huge question marks over their ability to compete for the title, as injury concerns left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the duo vying to take over the mantle from Novak Djokovic as the new king of men’s tennis.
Australian Open champion Sinner admitted he had big doubts over playing in Paris as he nursed a hip injury that forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Masters before he played his quarterfinal match and then he was ruled out of the Rome Masters due to the same injury problem.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz was also missing in Rome with a forearm issue that put his participation at Roland Garros in big doubt, with his first round match almost feeling like a fitness test for the Wimbledon champion who lost to Djokovic in last year’s French Open semi-finals.
Now many of the doubts surrounding these two great champions have been erased, with their sparkling performance in their first five matches confirming they are fit enough to win their first French Open title.
News that Djokovic is out of the tournament due to a knee problem will add additional spice to a match that will feature the soon-to-be new world No 1 Sinner and a player who could push Djokovic down to No 3 in the world rankings if he wins the Roland Garros title in Alcaraz.
After their sensational battle in Indian Wells in March, fireworks are assured when Sinner and Alcaraz go head-to-head once again, but Becker struggled to pick a winner as Tennis365 asked him to predict which one of these two great players will have the most success in their career.
“I have to be honest friend, I hate answering this kind of question!” Becker responded with a smile at a Eurosport event.
“These two guys Sinner and Alcaraz are young and they are already under a lot of pressure, but I couldn’t tell you if one is going to win ten Grand Slams and the other will win 15. I just don’t know.
“What we can say is a lot depends on injuries. What we have seen with Novak Djokovic is he was still winning three of the four Grand Slams last year when he was 36.
“That is just unbelievable when you look back at history and see that the best players tended to stop winning before that.
“This is the biggest miracle of Novak. How can keep your mind, your body and your spirit fit for that long? It was unbelievable
“What we have seen with Sinner and Alcaraz is that both have already been injured this year.
“They are still at the start of their careers, so we have to wait to see if that is going to be a problem for them.
“Staying fit and fresh is the biggest challenge for Carlos and Jannik as that will affect how many titles they win in their careers.”
Becker is struggling to make a call on the big new rivalry in tennis, but the world will be watching as they clash in a Grand Slam showdown in Paris on Friday.
The early tale of the tape in this battle shows the friends and rivals are tired at 4-4 after their opening eight contests, but few have felt as significant as their next clash at Roland Garros on Friday.
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