Indian Wells SF 2024: Alcaraz(2) vs Sinner(3)

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

No, he Will have a hewiit like Career, he is just too short

Haha. I think a lot of us got guilty of trolling Alcaraz when he lost. Not you of course who knew he’d be back.

Yeah I think it’s safe to say Alcaraz is going to win a lot and he will have slumps but always bounce back. Same for Sinner too and both guys will be competing in many finals over the years.

 

[TheSlicer]

Haha. I think a lot of us got guilty of trolling Alcaraz when he lost. Not you of course who knew he’d be back.

Yeah I think it’s safe to say Alcaraz is going to win a lot and he will have slumps but always bounce back. Same for Sinner too and both guys will be competing in many finals over the years.

As an Alcaraz fan, at first watching him win was only the cherry on the top, the real deal maker was being so crafty at the Net and his willingness to go foward and be Creative in an era when nobody could get out of the baseline because of the pace off play, and that just being a Young teenager, i was a fan of his before even he was losing in the qualifiers of slams, (in fact i dont remember if he ever Lost in qualifiers) what i Saw from him when he was 16 years old amazed me, but i never knew if that could translate to bigger stages, i wasnt sure if that crazy way of playing could really be effective against the top guys, then, when he beat tsitsipas in first round of us open with that power, those droppers, that mental strenght... Ive seen teenagers cause upsets before, but never in that manner, in that moment i was sure he would be number one and win slams, the only question was when, the point IS, i dont care how many bad slumps he has or if he doesnt get to 20 GS, i know his talent is only comparable to a few guys in the history of the sport, i dont mind if i can back that up with stats or not, its just what i feel, ive watched a lot of tennis and a lot of talented players from different eras, but this Guy has a flair and a naturality to play Big tennis that only the eye of a fool could be decieved, thats the problem with this site, most arguments of greatness are backed up with stats, this is not track and field, you cant just measure tennis in numbers, at least i dont see it that way, winning is important, inspiring is more, carlos is the kind of player that inspires a kid to pick up a racket and dream of one day being able to play those shots

 

[nolefam_2024]

Sinner just couldnt keep a super serving level for so long, then in the 3rd he hurt his wrist a bit and his serve got even worse, Carlos change in the second set was exactly what he had to do, not feeding pace to sinner, use his variety, that forced sinner to Risk more, i see more players using that tactic against sinner, once youre the most in form player, you get chased more than you chase, thats part of tennis and the reason why its difficult to keep winning and winning, players figure out how to hurt you, you are forced to keep improving to keep winning, no high level is high enough for that, its about adapting until you retire

That will only work on slow courts. Sinner will basically end the pt on fast courts if you feed the ball to him.

 

[TheSlicer]

That will only work on slow courts. Sinner will basically end the pt on fast courts if you feed the ball to him.

Well one tactic at a time i Guess, also its not feeding him the ball, its varying speeds, heights and spin, what you dont want IS give him 2 identical balls, because he just needs a couple of repetitions to put the ball on a dime, we will see

 

[kl2963]

I picked Sinner to win IW '24. Alcarez game out in the 2nd set and took over the match. He got into Sinner's head and took Sinner out of his game. Great match and looking forward to seeing these 2 battler more in the future.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Well one tactic at a time i Guess, also its not feeding him the ball, its varying speeds, heights and spin, what you dont want IS give him 2 identical balls, because he just needs a couple of repetitions to put the ball on a dime, we will see

Medvedev and Djokovic with first strike tennis almost took sinner out. Djokovic in ATP finals final and Medvedev in AO first 2 sets. Meddy was also 6-3 5-1 up.

 

[TheSlicer]

Medvedev and Djokovic with first strike tennis almost took sinner out. Djokovic in ATP finals final and Medvedev in AO first 2 sets. Meddy was also 6-3 5-1 up.

Yeah i dont mean that is "the tactic" to beat sinner, its just another way of aproaching It, and a player has to work with the tools he has, Djokovic is djokovic, he wins most of the time, medvedev is a great tactician, and if he has the day he can really surprise you with very fast and acurate flat shots, he already did that to alcaraz at uso, but one thing that ive seen consistently to work against sinner is variety, if you vary things youre gonna get the oportunity to hit a winner, if you just stand on the baseline and hope to out hit him, its not gonna work most of the times

 

[Rovesciarete]

Sinner lost against the best defender and likely best returner of the tour under the most unfavourable hardcourt conditions he will likely encounter over the years while having some serve trouble and slight physical problems. Barely an ace and three breaks suffered by the guy dominating the hold serve category. Charlie did play very well in the two last sets, using depth and spin on this slow and bouncy surface to make it almost impossible for Janik to hit through. Overall Alcaraz won just four points more.

@TheSlicer points to variety as a tool to beat Sinner and it is true. But who other than Alcaraz, aided by IW, can pull that off regularly? You have to be shot resistance and able to generate variety and power. Djokovic won with hyper aggression in Turin but crashed in Melbourne, Medvedev came out playing some of his best tennis ever but was ground down. Alcaraz dominated Sinner in slow IW last year but was blasted off the fast court of Miami.

Overall this loss confirms a lot about Charlie and Janni. Both will make their tactical moves and will have an easier or harder time to execute depending on form and conditions.

 

[TheSlicer]

Sinner lost against the best defender and likely best returner of the tour under the most unfavourable hardcourt conditions he will likely encounter over the years while having some serve trouble and slight physical problems. Barely an ace and three breaks suffered by the guy dominating the hold serve category. Charlie did play very well in the two last sets, using depth and spin on this slow and bouncy surface to make it almost impossible for Janik to hit through. Overall Alcaraz won just four points more.

@TheSlicer points to variety as a tool to beat Sinner and it is true. But who other than Alcaraz, aided by IW, can pull that off regularly? You have to be shot resistance and able to generate variety and power. Djokovic won with hyper aggression in Turin but crashed in Melbourne, Medvedev came out playing some of his best tennis ever but was ground down. Alcaraz dominated Sinner in slow IW last year but was blasted off the fast court of Miami.

Overall this loss confirms a lot about Charlie and Janni. Both will make their tactical moves and will have an easier or harder time to execute depending on form and conditions.

Alcaraz wasnt blasted off the court in miami last year, he had cramps and couldnt basically move for the last hour, thinking only alcaraz can beat him is a mistake, youre giving for granted that sinner is always gonna play his best, there are more factors apart from a bouncy court and he hasnt shown yet he can play this level for a whole year, beat him consistently? Sure, very few people are gonna be able to beat him consistently, we are talking about a slam winner and number 3 in the world, but lets not make that mistake, any player can beat him on a given day, thats how tennis works, with the Big 3 we have got used to knowing that they are only gonna lose to each other, but we are not there yet with these guys

 

[Move]

Tennis has become so physical, i do not see this generation of players winning > 20 slams, even if these two devide the wins.

 

[TheSlicer]

Tennis has become so physical, i do not see this generation of players winning > 20 slams, even if these two devide the wins.

I dont see them playing for that long either

 

[ChaelAZ]

One of my favorite things is watching the TTW thread script flip. Lots of confidence for Sinner after that first set, or down playing Alcz as usual.

Anywhoooo...was a great match overall, but certainly not the tight battle we thought/hoped it would be. Still another doozey in the Alcaraz v. Sinner rivalry. I can watch them battle for the next 10 years, yup.

 

[TheSlicer]

Yeah Alcaraz is a couple of cms from the Glory, he can win as many wimbledon, us open and masters titles as he wants but his height Will always prevent him from achieving great things... Looooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!

 

[nolefam_2024]

Yeah Alcaraz is a couple of cms from the Glory, he can win as many wimbledon, us open and masters titles as he wants but his height Will always prevent him from achieving great things... Looooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!

As many? He got stopped and crushed by Medvedev and Zverev in last 2 slams. It's not a done deal. He can win RG.

 

[Move]

I watched the replay. Great first two sets and Carlos upping his level and not allowing a rebreak in his final 2 service games in the second set.
At 1-1 0-15 in the third Jannik had hurt/ sprained his left calf (walking to his box, tapping with the racket on the calf and saying something) then it was over and out, spraying UFE.....Great run, time to regroup and refit. Just hope the players stay healthy... they sometimes make not-human slides, strides, lunges, jumps and turns !

 

[TheSlicer]

As many? He got stopped and crushed by Medvedev and Zverev in last 2 slams. It's not a done deal. He can win RG.

He is 20, he has beat both of them at slams before, he beat medvedev at wimbledon, he beat sinner at uso, zverev at uso, and Djokovic at wimbledon, he beat zverev Nadal and Djokovic back to back to back in Madrid having basically no experience on the pro tour, man nothing is a done deal, but Alcaraz winning Big titles if healthy till the day he retires is the closest It gets to It, the Guy is just too talented at playing tennis what can you do, and that means more than being 6.2 to be honest, lol, many guys are 6.2, but very few people in history have had the hability Alcaraz has

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

Me too. However, it’s now 8:30pm UK time it seems. Still good for me.

And just like that I couldn't sacrifice my sleep.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Alcaraz dominated Sinner in slow IW last year but was blasted off the fast court of Miami.

The court speed index at IW last year was 29.9 and Miami was 33.1. Very little difference, both extremely slow HC's. Miami hasn't been a fast HC since the early 2000's.

 

[sureshs]

Players on the way to the stadium on a golf cart. @sureshs is driving.

Are you a GAS giant like Jupiter?

 

[GAS]

Are you a GAS giant like Jupiter?

It's my initials, not a personal characteristic.

 

[TheSlicer]

It's my initials, not a personal characteristic.

Gerome Anatoli Sanders is that you? im Paul, from high school remember?

 

[GAS]

Gerome Anatoli Sanders is that you? im Paul, from high school remember?

Not even close

 

[TheSlicer]

Not even close

Lol i Hope so!

 

[Gary Duane]

The court speed index at IW last year was 29.9 and Miami was 33.1. Very little difference, both extremely slow HC's. Miami hasn't been a fast HC since the early 2000's.

Facts matter!

 

[GAS]

The court speed index at IW last year was 29.9 and Miami was 33.1. Very little difference, both extremely slow HC's. Miami hasn't been a fast HC since the early 2000's.

I think the difference between the two tournaments is more about the weather conditions. Indian Wells is very dry, which makes conditions slower. Miami is very humid, which makes conditions faster.

 

[flyingboris]

Nice interviews, I like Sinner's answers. He didn't explicitly address what happened to his leg though. He also seems to be pretty cagey about tactics. No mention of Carlos' topspin, just a general "I have to be less predictable".

 

[GAS]

One thing that was working for Zverev against Carlitos was the DTL BH, but he used it very seldom. Sinner used the DTL BH quite a lot in the first set, but less as match progressed.

Carlitos doesn't have a particularly good CC FH and his court position favors the inside-out FH, there's a lot of open space to hit on his FH side.

 

[Mainad]

What the heck happened to Sinner? Inflicts a beatdown on Alcaraz in the opening set and then collapses like a wonky pack of cards!!!

 

[Rattie]

What the heck happened to Sinner? Inflicts a beatdown on Alcaraz in the opening set and then collapses like a wonky pack of cards!!!

Alcaraz changed the rules

 

[I get cramps]

Contrary to what we have seen in the center courts of the slams, whose roofs are closed for any trifles, in the M1000 tournaments, you can still see which players play proficiently in the wind. I like it that way because I enjoy seeing players with competent footwork who know how to adapt to constant variations of heights and rhythms.

 

[sureshs]

It's my initials, not a personal characteristic.

Your name is Gas Accumulation System?

 

[I get cramps]

What the heck happened to Sinner? Inflicts a beatdown on Alcaraz in the opening set and then collapses like a wonky pack of cards!!!

Wonky tosh.

I will never forget this locution I read in a review of Harold Bloom's book "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human". I couldn't stop laughing after reading something that I had no idea what it meant.

 

[ALCARAZWON]

That will only work on slow courts. Sinner will basically end the pt on fast courts if you feed the ball to him.

Alcaraz will annihilate Sinner at Roland Garros, that's for certain, and obviously Alcaraz is very confident on grass too (and so is Sinner).
Plus Sinner didn't look convincing in the AO Final at all, and only won the 3rd Set because Med's forehand speed sunk.
Alcaraz looks like he has the alpha mentality to win slam finals more than Sinner, and they'll only meet in the finals of slams when ranked 1 and 2.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

I think the difference between the two tournaments is more about the weather conditions. Indian Wells is very dry, which makes conditions slower. Miami is very humid, which makes conditions faster.

What,??
If anything, ball moves faster in dry air, that's why IW had always been a hunting ground for Federer until he retired.

 

[Rovesciarete]

I think the difference between the two tournaments is more about the weather conditions. Indian Wells is very dry, which makes conditions slower. Miami is very humid, which makes conditions faster.

Indeed, more aces on a regular basis in humid Miami. In IW it depends much more on the wind and time of day. Physics matter indeed . Overall IW favours heavy spin and kick, Nadal’s and Hurkacz’s performance are good indicators.

After seeing Carlos playing in IW I was convinced that it fits him like a glove, should be one of his top2 hardcourt masters after all is said and done. The rest will depend to a large degree on his serve performance over the years relative to his biggest competitors.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Any way you slice it, Alcaraz winning yesterday was good for tennis. I have ZERO desire to see someone go on a Big 3 like tear through the field... ever again. Let's see some parity. Nice to see Carlitos back in form. He has been quite solid at this tournament. I was one of those who doubted, given his post-Wimbledon crash.

 

[socallefty]

There are four effects of humidity on tennis and you can’t say that humidity makes conditions faster just because humid air is lighter.

1) Humid air with more water vapor is indeed less dense and lighter than drier air as water vapor molecules are lighter than air molecules. However the effect of this is fairly trivial on speed of play on a tennis court. Temperature makes much more difference with higher temperatures making balls fly faster than humidity.
2) The Magnus effect contributes to imparting spin on balls and in humid conditions, it is harder to impart spin on the ball. Therefore with less spin in high humidity, players can’t swing as hard and keep the ball in especially if they depend on heavy spin to keep the ball in the court. So, heavy topspin hitters will hit slower to get more control while it might affect flatter hitters less. This will lead to pro players perceiving conditions as slower in humidity.
3). Sweat doesn‘t dry as easily in humidity and this causes players to feel sluggish and get fatigued faster as their body temperature regulation is not as good. This may lead to decrease in swing speed and shot/serve speed in a long match and is the reason why players describe humid conditions as ‘heavy’.
4). The ball gathers more moisture in humid conditions from both player’s sweat and moisture from the air therefore becoming heavier quickly compared to a ball in dry conditions. This also slows down shot speed and the speed of the conditions.

Since the last three conditions override the first one, most players including rec players would describe high humidity as slower, heavier conditions rather than when they play in very dry conditions. Sometimes it is hard to compare the effects of humidity alone on tennis as dry conditions are accompanied by the lower temperatures of fall/winter and humid conditions are seen more in the hot summer weather. Temperature has a much more drastic effect on the speed of conditions and ball pressure than humidity with higher temperatures making balls fly faster and lower temperatures making balls fly slower. When you have a cold, humid day just before a winter storm, the conditions can appear really slow.

At Indian Wells the court speed is slow, but there is a huge fluctuation in temperature between the daytime and evening which can be as much as 30 degrees F. This makes day comditions much faster than for night matches while wind is also usually worse in the daytime or late afternoon. It is a tricky place to play if you have different rounds scheduled at different times. Miami provides much more consistent conditions as it is usually hot and humid.

 

[Impetus]

Wow!!!

Acrobatics!!!

 

[Marius_Hancu]

 

[Pheasant]

I had picked Alcaraz to beat Sinner after I saw him completely dismantle Zverev in the QF. The guy was clearly zoning.

I never understood why Alcaraz was written off. The dude is only 20 and has 2 slam titles and now 5 Masters. Even if he start partying, he would still likely pick up at least one more slam title. Look at Safin for Chrissakes.

 

[McGradey]

Glad to be wrong in my prediction for this one. And disappointed I couldn't watch the match due to the rain delay! Carlos with the smart play, finding solutions and mixing it up. Fantastic to watch.

 

[nolefam_2024]

I had picked Alcaraz to beat Sinner after I saw him completely dismantle Zverev in the QF. The guy was clearly zoning.

I never understood why Alcaraz was written off. The dude is only 20 and has 2 slam titles and now 5 Masters. Even if he start partying, he would still likely pick up at least one more slam title. Look at Safin for Chrissakes.

He is written off of winning 20+ slams. Or 30+ slams. He won't.
Any honest man would not have written him off of winning many slams but now we know he will likely struggle a lot to be the best in history.

 

[tennis24x7]

One of my favorite things is watching the TTW thread script flip. Lots of confidence for Sinner after that first set, or down playing Alcz as usual.

Anywhoooo...was a great match overall, but certainly not the tight battle we thought/hoped it would be. Still another doozey in the Alcaraz v. Sinner rivalry. I can watch them battle for the next 10 years, yup.

And people were saying it would be dead because the big 3 retired. I think we can all see that tennis is in good hands. This match alone proves that.

 

[FeroBango]

Congratulations Carlos. Did well to beat the HC master even though we now know that said master has lost all his points and prize money for doping (from Indian Wells).

 

[TheSlicer]

Congratulations Carlos. Did well to beat the HC master even though we now know that said master has lost all his points and prize money for doping.

Lol what i like a about this is that baseline bungle was being disgusting acussing Alcaraz of doping just because he has big quads lol, and surprisingly, he is a sinner fan... Karma

 

[FeroBango]

Lol what i like a about this is that baseline bungle was being disgusting acussing Alcaraz of doping just because he has big quads lol, and surprisingly, he is a sinner fan... Karma

Bro he was obsessed more over Alcaraz' nipples tbh. He'd zoom into them uncomfortably deep.

 

[dking68]

Congratulations Carlos. Did well to beat the HC master even though we now know that said master has lost all his points and prize money for doping (from Indian Wells).

48-5 > 38-8

 

[FeroBango]

48-5 > 38-8

Doped up Jannik 2.0 against 38-8 Alcaraz 0-2, including on HCs.

 

[FeroBango]

This isn't even a slight. Sinner is a genuine HC master and to beat his 2.0 version at its roid peak is impressive especially while handling Hewitt 2.0 allegations.

 

[robyrolfo]

Does this stuff make you guys feel better about being schooled by Monfils?