Roger Federer’s former coach explains what Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have done to ‘separate themselves’ from the other players

Roger Federer’s former coach outlined the ways in which Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have distanced themselves from the other players.

The two young players have stepped up and positioned themselves as the leading men in this new era of men’s tennis.

2024 certainly felt like a changing of the guard on the ATP Tour, as Sinner and Alcaraz shared the Grand Slams between them and claimed big victories over Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and Wimbledon respectively.

They have leapfrogged the likes of Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who have yet to win a Grand Slam, while other youngsters such as Jack Draper and Ben Shelton are trying to get to the next level.

How have Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz ‘separated’ themselves from other players?

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shared 12 titles between them on the ATP tour in 2024. The World number one can still win a ninth crown if he leads Italy to a successful defence of the Davis Cup.

The duo were dominant at Grand Slam level and their rivalry is currently one of the most compelling on the ATP Tour.

They are the most well-rounded players on tour at present, and Paul Annacone took to Tennis Channel to describe how Sinner and Alcaraz established themselves as elite players.

“I think the idea that they got to spend a few years with these legends on tour to see how they do things and watch the way things work has been unbelievably educational for them,” he said.

“And guess what? As these guys are stopping, Andy, Roger, Rafa, now there’s just Novak, all these younger players are thinking now? I’ve got a chance.

“And now they’re really hungry now they really believe and we’ve seen two of them in Sinner and Alcaraz jump to the front of the line because they’ve had a little bit more experience and a little bit more talent.

“They’ve managed it so well right now in my opinion and have separated themselves a little bit from everybody else.”

What are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s biggest achievements in 2024?

Sinner and Alcaraz both recorded some special accomplishments in 2024.

The Spaniard successfully defended the Indian Wells title and achieved his best result at the Australian Open by reaching the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz went on to win the French Open for the first time before successfully defending the Wimbledon title, once again beating Novak Djokovic in the final.