Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has criticized rivals of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for allowing the top two players to dominate men's tennis too easily. He advocates for varied tactics, drawing from successful moments like Grigor Dimitrov's Wimbledon performance and Novak Djokovic's strategies. Rusedski shared these views on his podcast Off Court with Greg.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have firmly established their supremacy in men's tennis, with Alcaraz securing five of the last nine Grand Slam titles and Sinner claiming the other four. Their commanding presence has intimidated opponents, but Rusedski argues that a lack of tactical variety from rivals is exacerbating this dominance.
Rusedski points to Grigor Dimitrov's match against Sinner at Wimbledon last July as a blueprint for success. Dimitrov led two sets to love, employing slices to keep the ball low and aggressive net approaches, before an injury halted his momentum. "I think Grigor Dimitrov played the perfect match [against Sinner] at Wimbledon," Rusedski said. "He was up two sets to love and Roger Federer himself said, I know how to play Sinner now after watching that Wimbledon match. Sinner wouldn’t have won Wimbledon without that injury."
He also highlights Djokovic's tactical adjustments, such as hitting down the middle to limit angles during his semi-final win over Sinner, and a similar approach that defeated Alcaraz in last year's Australian Open final. In the recent Australian Open final, Djokovic started strongly but Alcaraz stayed composed, knowing his opponent was fatigued.
Rusedski advises players like Ben Shelton to improve their backhand, take the ball earlier, and attack aggressively from the outset. "Once those two players are comfortable, you’re almost 99 per-cent of the time coming out second best," he warned. Without such changes, the stranglehold of Alcaraz and Sinner on the men's game will persist.
These insights come amid ongoing discussions about the tour's competitiveness, with Rusedski emphasizing the need for rivals to adapt or risk continued submission.
