Cameron Norrie has given a fascinating verdict on why Carlos Alcaraz has an edge over Jannik Sinner heading into the first Grand Slam of 2024 in an exclusive interview with Tennis365.
Speaking in his role as a Lexus ambassador at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London, Norrie gave a compelling insight into the best two young players in the game as he provided a strong argument to suggest Alcaraz is the winner of this battle of the young guns.
Italian Davis Cup-winning hero Sinner holds a 4-3 winning record in his head-to-head record with Alcaraz and the young Spaniard has admitted he struggles playing against his 22-year-old rival.
Sinner has also confirmed he is getting close to finding the keys to beat world No 1 Novak Djokovic after his win against the Serbian at the ATP Finals was backed up by a brilliant victory against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the Davis Cup semi-finals.
Yet British No 1 Norrie is convinced that Alcaraz will have a better chance of winning more of the big titles in tennis next year, as he was unequivocal in his verdict on the two brightest young players in tennis.
“I think Alcaraz will do better than Sinner next year,” Norrie told Tennis365, as we asked him to give his verdict on the current world No 2 and No 4.
“I think Alcaraz has a more complete game. He moves better than Sinner, has more variety on the forehand, better drop shots, he volleys better than Sinner. More skilful with the slice. So I’d say Alcaraz has a better year than Sinner. Let’s see, I could be wrong.”
Norrie has two wins against Alcaraz on his record from a gutsy victory at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters and then a draining win in the final of the ATP 500 event in Rio in February this year. He has also lost four times against Alcaraz, including a loss in the opening round of the 2021 US Open.
Norrie has yet to play Sinner, but his comments on the comparative skillset between the two will spark plenty of discussion ahead of a 2024 season when the Italian is being tipped to challenge for his first Grand Slam title.
Sinner has yet to reach the final of a major championship, but he will be a player to watch in the draw for next month’s Australian Open, with Norrie suggesting Djokovic remains the outstanding favourite to win the first Grand Slam of the new year.
Norrie played Djokovic in his final match of 2023, as he pushed the Serbian in a 6-4, 6-4 defeat at the Davis Cup in Malaga, with the Brit admitting the challenge of taking on a player now viewed by most as the greatest of all-time remains the ultimate challenge in tennis.
“When you look at his record in Australia, clearly he is the favourite. He is a great player,” was Norrie’s verdict on the 10-time Australian Open champion.
“The match at the Davis Cup was a tough one for me. I was doing a lot of fitness and a lot of cardio ahead of that match and it was so physical against him. It always is.
“It’s always a lot of fun to be playing against him and even though the result went against me, I wanted to set the tone high and finish the year with a good performance.
“I was just trying to go in and challenge him. I think I definitely brought a much better level than I had at the last end of my year, so I was kind of proud of how I competed, but it was still tough to lose that one.
“You want to see how close you are to the best player in the world at the moment. He won the ATP Finals the week before, so there is no doubt he is the best right now.”
Norrie is currently putting in some physical training ahead of his flight to Australia on December 23, with his first assignment of the new tennis season coming as he plays for Great Britain in the United Cup, which gets underway on December 29.
