Carlos Alcaraz has refuted Patrick Mouratoglou’s claim that Jannik Sinner isn’t the world’s best tennis player, emphatically declaring his rival the top player in the game. This comes after Mouratoglou suggested Alcaraz could still challenge Sinner’s dominance.
Sinner’s recent Australian Open victory, his third Grand Slam title, marked a stunning start to his 2025 season. The world number one defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets, achieving a rare feat: becoming only the fourth player since 1990 (joining Sampras, Federer, and Nadal) to face no break points in a Grand Slam men’s singles final. He also became the fifth man in the Open Era to win three consecutive hard-court slams and the youngest back-to-back Australian Open champion since Jim Courier (1992-93).
Despite these accomplishments, Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’s former coach, argued that Alcaraz, with two Grand Slam titles in 2024, remains a genuine contender for the top spot. “Jannik is not above everyone; I don’t think he’s above Carlos,” Mouratoglou commented, emphasizing the close nature of their past matches. “When Carlos is at his best, there is a real match.”
However, Sinner’s dominance since the start of 2024 is hard to ignore. He boasts nine titles and just four losses in 72 Tour-level matches where he won the first set (three of those losses coming against Alcaraz). Alcaraz himself holds a 6-4 head-to-head edge in recent encounters, including three straight wins culminating in the China Open final. Yet, he readily concedes Sinner’s current superiority.
“Jannik has proven to be the best at the moment; it’s crazy what he’s doing,” Alcaraz stated. He directly countered Mouratoglou’s assessment: “I understand that people argue about who is the best between us two, but for me and for the tennis players who play against him, Jannik is definitely the strongest.”
Highlighting Sinner’s remarkable consistency, Alcaraz added, “I don’t agree with what Mouratoglou said. Jannik will have lost 4/5 matches in a year. He has no ups and downs. In every tournament he participates in, he either reaches the final or lifts the trophy.”