Rick Macci, famed for the development of Serena and Venus Williams, has now given his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry.
After all, it remains the hot topic within tennis after the two renewed it in the Wimbledon final, with the latter coming out on top.
In claiming the title, his fourth at the Grand Slam level, he snapped a five-match winning streak against his great foe, restoring some semblance of parity to their match-up once again.
Whilst some have argued that Jannik Sinner’s victory was needed for the rivalry, others have suggested that if Carlos Alcaraz cannot beat the world number one, then no one else can.
Macci has now weighed in on this debate.
Was Jannik Sinner’s win over Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final good for their rivalry?
However, his route into the conversation actually came by disagreeing with what he heard from John McEnroe.
The American was a mainstay for the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon, and as such gave his verdict on everything up until that four-set final.
Speaking ahead of that match, he did admit: “When Sinner brings his A game, there’s no one that can beat him – other than Alcaraz.
“On the other hand, if Alcaraz doesn’t bring his A game, Sinner will win every time. So it’s going to be extremely interesting.”
This could be what Macci is referencing when he replied on X: “The great John Mac says Sinner at a different level than Alcaraz and he probably will not win again. You cannot be serious! There is an invisible fine line between these two and it will come down to key moments that day who will have the final say.”
After the final, Macci also pointed out the key difference between Alcaraz and Sinner, with the latter coming out on top.
Carlos Alcaraz will want payback at the US Open
Having been dethroned at Wimbledon, a place where many thought he was unbeatable, Alcaraz will head into the US hard-court swing of the tour with a point to prove.
Especially considering he has barely any points to defend after a disappointing summer in 2024 in the lead-up to the Olympics.
But that alone will likely not motivate him.
Instead, the opportunity to do to Sinner what he just did to him in New York beckons, as Alcaraz will now push harder than ever to snatch the US Open title from the 23-year-old.
Having already won the event before, he has the pedigree to do so again.
However, it will not be easy against the greatest hard-court player on the planet right now.
But, if anybody can do it, it’s Alcaraz, who will hopefully head to that event renewed and refreshed, unburdened by back-to-back Grand Slams and with strong preparation beforehand too.
