- - Carlos Alcaraz Warned He May “Never Beat” Jannik Sinner Again if He Doesn’t Adapt

Sayantan RoyNovember 3, 2025 at 11:32 PM

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Image Credits: Imago ©Image Credits: Imago

For the last few years, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been tennis’ most thrilling promise—two prodigies rewriting the future with breathtaking speed, fearless firepower, and the unshakable belief that destiny had room for both. But as 2025 heats up, the balance of that rivalry seems to be shifting a bit—and one of Italian tennis’ most respected voices has issued a stark warning for the Spaniard. From the outside, their rivalry appears to be a fireworks show destined to blaze for a decade. Yet to Adriano Panatta, the man who once lifted Roland Garros (1976), the plot has taken an unmistakable turn. With Sinner’s recent heroics, he believes Alcaraz is stepping into dangerous territory.

Although Alcaraz has a 10-5 edge over Sinner in their H2H and he has already secured four wins against the Italian in their five meetings in 2025, the 75-year-old tennis legend looks a bit concerned with Alcaraz’s recent performances. On one side, we saw Sinner lifting the Paris Masters title by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final by 6-4, 7-6(4). But then on the other side, Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to the Brit Cameron Norrie in his opening match of the Paris Masters. This defeat ended his and Sinner’s run of playing in the finals at five consecutive tournaments they’ve competed in. Reacting to this defeat, Alcaraz had claimed, “I did not feel well today. I had no feeling on the court and made too many errors.”

He was quite disappointed with his level in that match. Tennis legend Jim Courier compared this defeat to his earlier setback against David Goffin in Miami, and while sharing his thoughts on his 54 unforced errors in that match, Henman went on to add that he feels Carlos Alcaraz sometimes enters what he called “kamikaze mode.” Recently, in an interview with La Dominica Sportiva, Panatta heaped praise on Sinner for his experimentations with drop shots and serves, and he also claimed that Sinner now looks much more relaxed on court. He further added, “He (Sinner) has become almost unbeatable now. Alcaraz could have a bad day and lose, but that never happens to Jannik in the first or second round. Either he loses in the final or he gets injured. So Carlos has to be careful: either he stays focused or he’ll never beat him again.”

It’s a statement that feels less like criticism and more like a challenge—a call to Alcaraz to safeguard the throne he once claimed with fearless swagger. Because today, Sinner isn’t the hunter anymore. He’s the standard. The machine. The one who shows up week after week, crafted not just from talent but from steel-edged discipline and a mind that refuses to blink. How has his performance been in comparison to Alcaraz in 2025, though?

Sinner now owns the fifth-most Masters 1000 titles among active players with five. Carlos Alcaraz has 8, and hence he’s in second place in that list (after Novak Djokovic—40). Jannik Sinner has won a big title in every 6.3 tournaments he has played in his career, and that number is 3.9 for Alcaraz.

Credits – Instagram / @usopen

Both these players have had an outstanding season this year, but who’ll have the last laugh at the Nitto ATP Finals, which kick-starts on November 9?

Former world number one raises concerns about Carlos Alcaraz’s chances in Turin

For most of the season, Carlos Alcaraz has danced across the tennis calendar with the brilliance and energy of a prodigy destined for greatness. Clay, grass, hard courts—he’s dazzled everywhere, leaving his imprint and forcing the world to watch. But as the Tour shifts indoors and the stakes reach their winter peak, a familiar unease has crept in. Last year, he won just one out of his two matches at the ATP Finals. Can he bring out a better performance this time?

Well, the former world number one, Justine Henin, has sounded a warning about the young Spaniard’s chances at the upcoming ATP Finals, pointing straight at the surface that continues to trouble him. In a recent interview, the tennis legend said, “I think there are still questions about Carlos’ ability to perform well indoors, even though he seems to have a lot of potential in those conditions. There’s no way around it; it remains a hurdle he needs to overcome.”

While the narrative of Alcaraz’s rise has been built on explosive talent and fearless shot-making, the indoor chapter remains stubbornly incomplete. Henin further added,“It’s the end of the season, even though Carlos has had some time off in recent weeks. He will have to manage the fatigue from the whole season and the pressure of the ATP Finals. It’s a tournament where he’s never been able to shine as he would have liked, especially knowing that Jannik will be arriving in top form.” Only time can tell who, between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, will have the last laugh here, but how can the results at this year-ending tournament impact their rankings?

Alcaraz became the world number one after his title triumph at the 2025 US Open. He ended Sinner’s dominant 65-week run at the top of the singles ranking. But with his sudden drop in performance level and Sinner winning the Paris Masters title, the Italian has now taken over the crown from the Spaniard. However, despite losing the spot to Sinner, Alcaraz is still in pole position to end the year as the world number one. But for that, he needs to win all three of his round-robin matches at the ATP Finals. But if Sinner fails to go unbeaten at this tournament, then he will need just two round-robin wins to secure the top spot.

Interestingly, even if Jannik Sinner wins the ATP Finals by going unbeaten, Carlos Alcaraz can still end the year as world number one if he reaches the final and loses one match in the round-robin stage. So, the action is still not over for the 2025 season. Fasten your seatbelts for a blockbuster ending in Turin. But you’re on which side, though?

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Source: “AOL Sports”