Ferrero on Alcaraz-Sinner SF: 'It’s hard to pick a favourite'

Juan Carlos Ferrero perfectly remembers the first match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. It was in 2019, in the first round of an ATP Challenger Tour event held at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante. The Spaniard’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win against the Italian marked the beginning of a rivalry that will produce another thrilling chapter on Friday, when the stars cross swords in the Roland Garros semi-finals.

“At that time we knew he’d just won three Challenger tournaments and it looked like he was going to stand out quickly,” said Ferrero of Sinner on Thursday in Paris. “And that’s what he did. Carlos ended up winning, although he was still a work in progress. The day before, he played a junior final at the academy and then we tried in the Challenger. It was a very good first contact.”

That “first contact” led to what is now a thriving rivalry (4-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head) between two of the best players on the planet, two Grand Slam champions, and two world No. 1s (the Italian will climb to the top of the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday).

“I think Sinner will try and keep improving every day because he’s very young, as Carlos is, and they are both trying to get better every day,” said Ferrero. “There’s a strategy for tomorrow. Of course, if you don’t go out with a clear strategy against Sinner, if you don’t have a clear idea of how you’re going to play, there are always a lot of complications because you don’t know what to play.

“Just like Jannik knows how he has to play, Carlos also knows. The thing is that they’re both so good that they have great belief.”

Alcaraz is in the Roland Garros semi-finals after recovering from an injured right forearm that prevented him from playing in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Rome. He only competed in Madrid, losing in the quarter-finals to Andrey Rublev, before arriving in Paris.

“We kind of missed playing the clay season from start to finish, which is always important to us,” admitted Ferrero. “Then, as for hitting his forehand at 100 per cent, right now I’d say he’s at 95 per cent. He’s still struggling to hit it naturally like he did before because an arm injury like that always means your mind is slightly on it.

“Maybe he’s still not at the same level as last year, but I don’t like making comparisons. Given the situation we arrived in, he’s at a great level. I think last year’s situation was different. We arrived with a lot of confidence and that makes everything come off more naturally. This time he’s had to grow into it. I think the results he’s had so far are very important for his head and his confidence: winning matches, seeing that his arm is okay, gradually gaining the confidence he needs... Comparing him with last year is very difficult because of the lack of matches. Hopefully he ends up at the exceptional level we know he is capable of.”

Thus, two in-form players will lock horns for a place in the final at Roland Garros. It is a match nobody will want to miss because of just what these two superstars have to offer; look no further than their previous Lexus ATP Head2Head encounters.

“This year, with the injury we’ve had, people may think he’s not the favourite,” reasoned Ferrero of Alcaraz. “Carlos and the group are aware that if he can find his level he has a big chance of winning any tournament he plays in.

“Is he the favourite for tomorrow? I think it’s a match in which both players have missed tournaments through injury. It’s hard to pick a favourite. Let’s hope they both play a great match so they can feed off one another and they can both come out of it feeling positive.”

Roland Garros is gearing up for a spectacular battle.