Rafael Nadal tips Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to lead new era in men's tennis

The Spaniard, who retired from professional tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in November, gave a detailed interview to La Gazetta dello Sport in which he discussed the future of the sport that he once helped to dominate.

Much of the focus of his comments surrounded the two players who have won all of the last five Grand Slams â- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"[Jannik] Sinner has already won 3 Slams," Nadal began by stating.

"In the last two years, he has made an incredible leap in his career, and he has become a very confident and solid player with incredible potential.

"I think that for a country that loves tennis like Italy, having a player like Jannik was a must.

"The Italian Federation has done a great job, because there is not only Jannik: there is [Lorenzo] Musetti, [Matteo] Berrettini, [Flavio] Cobolli, there is a great generation of young and talented Italian players, something that can be achieved with resources and work."

The sporting legend then moved on from focusing on the Italian to discuss Alcaraz, who he played with in the men's doubles category at the 2024 Paris Olympics (losing in the quarter-finals).

"It seems that Jannik and Carlos [Alcaraz] are at a higher level than the others and that if they are spared from injuries, they will fight for the most important titles for a long time," the 14-time French Open champion commented.

"There will always be new players of a high level.

"Jannik and Carlos have an advantage over the others at the moment; they seem to be at a higher level and have been for the last two years, but we will see; the future is unpredictable.

"The beauty and greatness of the sport is linked to its unpredictability. However, it is clear that these are two special players who will mark an era."

The 22-time Grand Slam champion was also asked as to how well he thinks that Sinner will perform, during his return to professional tennis.

"It will be difficult because it is always like this when you return after a period away from competitions," Nadal responded.

"But the positive thing is that Jannik [Sinner] is not returning after an injury; he was able to continue training and preparing, and I think he will take to the field with great desire."

"Not having access to all the relevant information, I prefer to respect the processes and justice. The person who judged the case has all the information that we do not have, and based on this, he made the decision he considered the most correct, and that must be respected 100%.

"I have 100% confidence in Jannik, I am 100% convinced that Jannik did not want to deceive, I know him personally, and I have total confidence in his innocence.

"However, sometimes there are accidents and things happen, unfortunately, we are exposed to this type of situation, and the verdict must be accepted. But I repeat, I believe in Jannik's innocence."

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