Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill has warned Carlos Alcaraz that he may be surpassed by the Italian as the next superstar in tennis following his Australian Open triumph. Sinner battled back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev and secure his first Grand Slam title, underlining his status as one of the sport’s highest-rated youngsters.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Alexander Zverev despite being tipped among the pre-tournament favourites. The Spaniard currently has two Grand Slam titles under his belt but Cahill believes that Sinner has every chance of surpassing Alcaraz if he can build on his success at the Australian Open.
When asked if he thinks Sinner can emerge as the next superstar in men’s tennis, Cahill said: “I do. I think this sport at the moment has a few superstars. I think Carlos is very similar to Jannik in both the way they play with the excitement level they bring to the game, and their personalities and their likability.
“Both guys are incredibly alike off the court. They both like each other. They both have a friendly rivalry. They both light it up when they play each other. I don’t think any of their matches have ever been boring.
“I think we have some really good personalities in the game at the moment, and it’s important they keep winning. It’s important they do what Jannik was able to do today, and that’s to show a side of this young generation that are going to fight till the very end. They really want to make a name for themselves and Jannik did that.
“Carlos has done that already a couple of times. The match he played at Wimbledon to beat Novak [Djokovic] was just a special performance. Our job now is just to make sure that we keep him [Sinner] pumped up.
“It’s because it’s the start of the year, it’s a long year, and it’s important to enjoy the moment but when we get back onto the tennis court we will try to keep him in that good mindset and try to keep him winning.”
It remains to be seen if Sinner can leapfrog Alcaraz as the next big thing in men’s tennis off the back of his incredible Australian Open triumph. His victory over Medvedev marked one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the tournament, with the Italian growing into the match and rattling off the last three sets as his opponent began to tire.
Sinner and Alcaraz have both been tipped as potential heirs to Novak Djokovic when the 36-year-old eventually decides to retire from the sport. However, only time will tell which of the duo will emerge as the Serb’s natural successor, with the outcome of this year’s remaining Grand Slam events likely to paint a clearer picture.
Follow our Express Sport page on Instagram here.
