Stan Wawrinka believes the difference in quality between the world’s two highest-ranked players on the men’s Tour and the rest is ‘huge’, but at some stage, there will be somebody able to close the gap.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have won the past nine Grand Slam titles between them and recently faced off against each other in their Monte Carlo final, which Sinner won in straight sets. Both players have more than double the amount of ranking points as their nearest rival, world No.3 Alexander Zverev. The duo has won more Tour-level titles than anybody else on the ATP Tour since 2020, with Sinner currently on 27 and Alcaraz just behind with 26.
Wawrinka knows what it is like to be in the chasing pack after playing during the Big Three era. He is one of the few who managed to win multiple major titles during this period, with Wimbledon being the only one he hasn’t won.
“As of today, Sinner and Alcaraz have pretty much split all the major titles between them. They’ve shown much better tennis in the clutch,” the Swiss veteran told reporters in Barcelona on Monday.
“The gap between those two and the rest is huge right now. We’ll see how the rest try to improve. Sooner or later, someone will come along who’s capable of winning Slams. Will it be in a year? Will it be in five years? We don’t know, but it’ll be fantastic to watch.”
Praise for the duo came from a 41-year-old after he played his last ATP Tour match on Spanish soil before retiring. At the Barcelona Open, he produced a valiant battle before losing to Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. Wawrinka will not be playing in Madrid, which is the last ATP event above challenger level this season.
“This loss has been even more painful because I know this is my last year here; it’s my final time in this tournament,” he said.
“Everything about this match was special. Here in Barcelona, I’ve grown as a tennis player. I spent a good part of my youth playing here, competing in Satellite tournaments, watching the great Spanish players, and learning from them.
“It has always been very important and very special to me, and it’s not easy to leave this place.
“I grew up on clay, and I’ll always be grateful for the time I spent in Spain.”
As it currently stands, the Swiss’ next event will be qualifying at the Rome Masters. However, he is considering entering a Challenger event before then.
Wawrinka has won 16 ATP titles and earned more than $38.3M in prize money during his career.
