Juan Carlos Ferrero was among the thousands sitting in disbelief as he watched the future unfold in front of him as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner thundered balls this way and that during an astonishing clash at the US Open in New York in 2022.
A former world No. 1 and Roland Garros champion in 2003, the Spaniard knew the capabilities of the prodigy he was coaching in Alcaraz. And he was also well aware of the potential of the red-headed Italian Sinner, a junior skiing star blessed with phenomenal timing.
But he could never have imagined tennis could be played at a level so high as the aspiring champions engaged in an enthralling five set battle that finished at 2.50am. This was the type of tennis one might see in a computer game with the setting locked at the highest level.
The pair struck supercharged forehands. They hit the super sprint button when on the defence to reel in shots that would be beyond most players, with perhaps Alex de Minaur the exception. The ingenuity and audacity of their shot making was astounding.
If this was the future, and Ferrero left Arthur Ashe Stadium convinced he had gazed into an eight-ball, it shaped as particularly bright.
“The other day I said to someone in the press that maybe Sinner and Carlos could dominate the tour for maybe the next ten years, from what I saw, the level that I saw the other day,” he said.
“Of course, there’s another players like (Alexander) Zverev, (Dominic) Thiem, Casper (Ruud), (Stefanos) Tsitsipas – they are going to be there, they going to have opportunities to win Grand Slams for sure. But with all respect, that’s what I think.”
Ferrero read the play as accurately as he used to strike his double-fisted backhand from the baseline as the two young champions prepare for a highly-anticipated semi-final at Roland Garros on Friday afternoon.
As well as Zverev and Ruud, who feature in the other semi-final, are playing at the moment, it will be a significant shock if the man lifting The Muskateers Cup at Roland Garros on Sunday does not emerge from the initial semi-final in Paris on Friday.
Since that quarterfinal clash in New York, only three men have won grand slams. Alcaraz, 21, clinched that US Open and went on to win Wimbledon last year. Novak Djokovic, 37, clinched the other three grand slams last year. And Sinner, 22, struck in style in Melbourne in January.
Leading into Roland Garros, there were injury clouds surrounding the trio.
But on a dramatic Tuesday, the younger men progressed in formidable fashion respectively against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov, players whose window to become a major champion may have passed given the brilliance of the young duo, while Djokovic limped out of the tournament with a knee injury.
As a result of Djokovic withdrawing – he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Wednesday – Sinner will become the world’s top-ranked man on Monday, a slot that was occupied by Alcaraz for a period after his success in New York two years ago.
The ‘Big Three’ of tennis dominated tennis for almost two decades prior to the emergence of Alcaraz and Sinner.
It may well be that there is a Djokovic lurking around the corner to challenge the two young stars, just as the Serbian crashed the party of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
But at the moment it is Sinner and Alcaraz who are the standard bearers, much to the dismay of players including Tsitsipas, who was crushed for the second French Open quarterfinal in succession by the Spaniard on Tuesday.
“The kid is just too good. I can only congratulate him because he’s really playing amazing,” Tsitsipas said.
“He in a way overpowers me, but he’s also patient enough to do it in a very constructive way. I haven’t felt like this on the court, and I haven’t felt against a lot of players like this on the court. They are numbered on my fingers. Maybe one or two players that have been able to do that against me.
“I’ve maximized anything that I was able to try and do out on the court. I’ve maximized everything. It’s a difficult journey. It’s not a pleasant one, for sure. Of course, I wish him the best, because when I play against him, I get reminded of how much there is to get
better at as a tennis player.”
Sinner, who is the fourth player renowned Australian coach Darren Cahill has coached to the No. 1 ranking alongside Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep, was dominant against Dimitrov when booking a place in his first French Open semi-final.
The pair have split their eight meetings to date, with Alcaraz winning the most recent match in three sets in a semi-final at Indian Wells.
It is one of only two losses the Italian, who is the first player from his nation to hold the world’s top ranking, has experienced this year.
They have met only once on clay to date, with Sinner emerging successful in three sets in Umag two years ago, and the tennis world is eagerly awaiting the next installment of the rivalry, as seven-time major champion John McEnroe told Eurosport in Paris.
“That’s what it’s all about. Tennis is an individual sport, but you need rivals and rivalries, and that certainly is the most obvious one,” he said.
“They’re 4-4 head-to-head and Jannik has broken through and won a major. So they’re sort of on more or less equal footing. It’s got all the makings of a great match (and it is a) tough call to see who wins.
“I heard someone say if Alcaraz wins this, he’d be the youngest guy to have won three majors on three different surfaces. (That is) better than anyone, even Novak, Roger or Rafa. That’s an amazing thought. I just hope and pray these two stay healthy for the next 10 years.”
Alcaraz, who engaged in a engrossing battle against Djokovic in Paris in a semi-final a year ago until hitting the wall, is expecting another spirited encounter against Sinner.
“You have to run like it is a marathon (from) side-to-side. Everything he does, he does it perfectly,” he said.
“The way that he hit the ball is unbelievable. The way he moves, it’s really, really well. He push you to the limit on every ball, on every point. I think it is the hardest thing to face Jannik.
“But at the same time, I love that. I love these kind of matches. I love this kind of challenge … to have a really difficult battle against him. The previous matches that we’ve played I think it was like that, and I love that.”
The future has arrived. If Alcaraz turns out to be as accurate in his predictions as his coach Ferrero proved two years ago, the semi-final on Friday could prove to be one the world remembers.
Source Agencies
