Pat Cash explains what drives Jannik Sinner without Alcaraz

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What Jannik Sinner keeps doing while Carlos Alcaraz is out shouldn’t be played down, even if the level of competition isn’t what it used to be.

Still, that’s the narrative a lot of people are sticking with, and it’s hard to ignore how men’s tennis has lost some of its spark since the Spaniard went down injured.

If nothing else, Alcaraz gave fans a reason to watch. He brought real competition to the tour at a time when Sinner looked miles ahead of everyone else.

Pat Cash weighs in on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

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Speaking about the Italian’s rise on BBC 5 Live Sport, the former Wimbledon champion spoke about the qualities that separate Sinner from the rest of the field.

There’s no shortage of reasons to explain his run of success, as well as how he has managed to break so many records along the way.

“He knows how to win,” said Cash. “He knows his way around the tennis court. And at the moment, you know, there’s not a lot of competition out there for him, and he’s just chewing up the tournament wins one after the other.

“You can just see the determination on his face. Every time he gets out there, he just wants to get better. He just wants to keep pounding that ball and drive the players into the ground.”

The Australian continued: “I mean, you can do it when he’s hot. It’s when you’re not hot, but can you do it? And can you come out and be competitive enough? And he’s still got that determination to prove people wrong.”

Jannik Sinner responds after surpassing Novak Djokovic’s all-time Masters 1000 record

Sinner’s run through the Masters 1000 circuit has been remarkable. He hasn’t dropped a match at this level since Shanghai in October, stringing together titles in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. Rome now seems like the next step.

He broke the record during the Italian Open, passing Novak Djokovic’s previous mark of 31 consecutive wins.

After reaching this milestone, Sinner told reporters: “I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story. At the same time, it means a lot to me.”

Read more:

• Shocking take: Andrey Rublev names whether anyone can stop Jannik Sinner
• Casper Ruud reacts to potential Italian Open final against Jannik Sinner
• Caty McNally explains why she and Coco Gauff withdrew from Rome doubles tournament