Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner share some similarities in their playing styles, but the Italian has not incorporated a notable area of improvement into his game.
That is the view of former ATP player Spencer Segura, who spoke to tennis legend Jimmy Connors during a recent episode of the Advantage Connors podcast.
Segura and Connors’ careers never intertwined, but the former World No. 1 owes Segura’s father, Pancho Segura, for instilling him with valuable nuggets of wisdom during his teenage years.
Connors remains the current record holder of the most ATP titles in the Open Era (109) and was ranked World No. 1 for 268 weeks. He won 10 Grand Slams, eight of which were in singles.
Alcaraz and Sinner are currently ranked in the world’s top three, with the Italian eclipsing his young rival to become the World No. 2 after winning the Miami Open in late March.
Sinner is reaping the reward of hard work and the pursuit of improvement. In the podcast, Segura pointed out that the 22-year-old is one of the most effective servers in tennis but is not as proactive as Alcaraz on the court.
“He [Jannik Sinner] has got a monster serve, if he hits it in, he’s got a big first serve that Alcaraz doesn’t have but he’s doing it. He’s playing the way Sinner should.”
However, Connors differs in his opinion, stating that’s how the strengths and weaknesses of tennis players work. The 71-year-old suggested that Alcaraz’s repertoire would have been severely limited if he had possessed a bigger serve.
“Isn’t that the way it normally goes though? I mean, if Alcaraz for instance, had a serve as big as Sinner, maybe his forehand and the rest of his game, the movement and everything might not be so good.”
Segura countered the response, explaining how players such as Alcaraz, who don’t possess a killer server, are able to augment their game by becoming more creative from the baseline.
“Right, but I mean you didn’t have a huge serve but if a guy hits short on you and you’re up 30-0, you’re gonna be in on him. You’re gonna hit an approach shot or a shot that pulled him off the court.”
Alcaraz and Sinner are currently out of action because of forearm and hip injuries respectively. They are expected to feature at Roland Garros towards the end of May.
