Toni Nadal identifies what Jannik Sinner is currently doing better than Carlos Alcaraz

Follow us on Google Discover

Toni Nadal has reappeared in the media to share his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz.

And for Spanish fans eager to see their young star build momentum, the past few weeks haven’t offered much encouragement.

An early exit in Miami capped a tough hard-court stretch, and hopes were high that Monte Carlo would offer a fresh start.

And even though reaching the final was a step forward, he fell short against Jannik Sinner in their first meeting of 2026.

Speaking about that final specifically, Nadal highlighted an area where he feels there’s still a noticeable gap between the two players.

Toni Nadal shares his take on Carlos Alcaraz’s Monte Carlo loss to Jannik Sinner

Speaking on Radioestadio Noche for Onda Cero, Nadal didn’t hold back in his assessment, saying: “It was a bad result for Alcaraz because Monte Carlo is the closest thing to Roland Garros.”

While he pointed out that Alcaraz played at a tempo that worked in Sinner’s favour, he didn’t mention the tough conditions, which made it difficult for either player to fully settle into their game.

He continued: “I think Alcaraz played at a pace that favoured Sinner… the gap between them is very small.

“I think Sinner is controlling his emotions better. This result may raise some doubts for Alcaraz.”

Alcaraz will now turn his attention to the Madrid Open as he looks to bounce back from that defeat.

Carlos Alcaraz’s nightmare week that could derail his 2026 season

Alcaraz would have hoped for a better start to the clay-court season, but things haven’t gone to plan.

Suffering back-to-back defeats isn’t the main concern though, with the Spaniard later flying home to Barcelona where he’d been scheduled to play, only to pull out before his opening match due to a forearm issue.

Alcaraz admitted himself that the injury was more serious than first thought and although no surgery is needed, it has cast doubt on his participation in Madrid and Rome, and even Roland Garros in May.

Should he miss any of those three events it would be a significant blow. The French Open champion from last year is defending huge points across all of them after reaching two finals and one semi-final in 2025.