Jannik Sinner grappling with a thousand pitfalls, it’s not over yet: a new threat looms over the world No. 1.
It was a complete given that behind the scenes at the Us Open they would cross paths several times. The facility is that and the courts, for that matter, are also adjacent to each other. Let us assume, then, in light of this, that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already met on several occasions since the hour of the Stars and Stripes Slam.
And we’d all be curious to see what atmosphere dominated their meeting, considering what the Iberian, in recent days, has been saying about the doping case involving his blue rival. The 4-time Slam champion did not point the finger at him, as other colleagues on the circuit have done, but neither did he defend him. Not that he was required to do so, mind you, but it had always seemed to fans that their relationship went far beyond on-court rivalry.
Many were disappointed by his words, forgetting, perhaps, that they are still adversaries and that the fact that they have common goals pollutes, inevitably, the relationship between them. Sinner may also have been bitter about it, having pointed out, in recent days, that what happened allowed him to find out who was his friend and who was not.
Sinner, new pitfalls on the horizon
Even so, Jannik will certainly know how to put on a good face and understand why Alcaraz did not go out of his way to defend him. He must have behaved as usual, then, when, in the past few hours, the two champions found themselves training on two adjacent courts.
Carlos was training with the Alcaraz’s oldest son, Alvaro, who is 25 years old and does very well with the racket. Not as good as his brother, but he still has a serve that is a blast, as is clear from the video that circulated on social media. And, perhaps to dampen the tension, the Spaniard can be seen addressing the Azure with a warning.
Alvaro Alcaraz serves better than Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz’s word pic.twitter.com/kYu7Ceyon6
– Fifteen Zero (@quindicizero) August 28, 2024
“Watch out, Jannik. This one on serve pulls harder than you…,” she told him, thus inviting him to admire his older brother’s serve. The “threat” quickly circulated via social media, but the impression is that it will take more than a joke to “make up” for those far too neutral and pretendedly disinterested statements…