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Nadal on Alcaraz and Sinner: contrasting styles ahead of the US Open final

Nadal contrasts Sinner’s forehand rhythm with Alcaraz’s unpredictability ahead of US Open. in 2025US

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Rafael Nadal offered a detailed read of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s games as they prepare to meet in the 2025 US Open final. Their rivalry has produced a run of finals between the pair and this will be their fifth consecutive meeting in a final at tournaments they entered.

The recent sequence of results underlines the closeness of the matchup. Alcaraz beat Sinner in straight sets in the Rome Masters final, then recovered from two sets down to win the French Open in five sets, saving three championship points in the process. Sinner answered with a four-set victory over Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Alcaraz later claimed the Cincinnati Masters title after Sinner retired with illness in the opening set of that final.

In an interview with The Athletic, Nadal broke down the differences between the two players and what makes their matches compelling:

“He (Sinner) puts a rhythm on the forehand that is very difficult to follow,” assessed Nadal , who won 22 Grand Slam titles. “He’s very quick on picking the ball early and he’s quick on the transition from defending to attacking.

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“Carlos is more magic, he’s more unpredictable, he can play at a level that probably sometimes Jannik cannot. But at the same time, he’s making more mistakes, too – he can play better, but he can play worse, and it’s about finding the balance.

“Carlos has all the shots, sometimes he’s making mistakes, but he’s going for the shots and it’s more amazing to see because, at the end, it’s more unexpected and unpredictable.

“I like it, it’s very funny to see Carlos play because he’s able to produce amazing things and at the same time, he’s able to have mistakes, and that’s human.

“From my point of view, Carlos can improve a little bit [on] the tactical way to approach some matches. Sometimes it feels like he always plays for every big shot, and sometimes, he doesn’t need that much.

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“That’s why I’m interested in how they evolve, because I think both of them have room to improve, and they are so good.”

Nadal also reflected on the French Open final between the two:

“The match was unbelievable because it was super emotional at the end,” Nadal said.

“For me, the first three sets were not that high-quality tennis. It was a normal final. Then, fourth and fifth sets were a high-quality fight.

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“That’s from my point of view, talking about if I had to play against them. The fourth and fifth sets were super, super high-level tennis, emotional, had a little bit of everything. Before, for me, I think Carlos didn’t play at his level. From my perspective, I think he was a little bit wrong tactically.

“Jannik, of course, he was unlucky up 0-40, but when he had the chance to go for it, I think he was not playing with the right determination.

“I think he stopped doing what he was doing good — going for the shots and playing with this extra speed on the ball at the moment that he had to take advantage. He didn’t play as aggressive as he was doing before.

“But overall, if we put the full picture, the final was unforgettable. It was amazing. The end of the match was one of the most emotional that I saw and I was lucky to see that as a fan from home.”

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Analytics & Stats ATP

Djokovic Sets New Standard with 860 Weeks in ATP Top 5

Novak Djokovic begins his record 860th week in the ATP Top 5, overtaking Roger Federer’s mark. Now.

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Novak Djokovic has extended his dominance in the ATP rankings by beginning his 860th career week inside the Top 5, a mark that moves him past Roger Federer’s previous record of 859 weeks.

The player currently listed at No. 4 on the rankings reached the milestone this week, adding another long-term statistical achievement to a resume already dense with records. Official ATP rankings began in August of 1973, and Djokovic’s run now stands as the most career weeks in the Top 5 in ATP history.

The scale of his consistency is underlined by where those weeks were spent. Of the 860 Top 5 weeks, Djokovic has occupied the No. 1 position for 428 weeks, the clear lead in ATP rankings history. Federer is next with 310 weeks at No. 1.

Breaking that total down further highlights Djokovic’s sustained excellence: 49.8 percent of his Top 5 weeks (428) were at No. 1. He has spent 599 weeks in the Top 2, representing 69.7 percent of his Top 5 span. His time in the Top 3 totals 764 weeks, or 88.8 percent, and he has held a Top 4 position for 823 weeks, equal to 95.7 percent of his Top 5 weeks.

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Those numbers reflect a career defined by long stretches at the very top of the sport rather than brief spikes. Reaching 860 weeks in the Top 5 is a cumulative testament to performance across seasons and surfaces, and it establishes a new benchmark for longevity among the modern era’s leading players.

Roger Federer’s long-standing record of 859 weeks has now been overtaken, and the milestone underscores the extraordinary durability of Djokovic’s presence among the elite. And there’s another record on the horizon, too.

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Analytics & Stats Finals

No. 1 Seeds Extend Streak to Seven Straight WTA Titles

No. 1 seeds have won seven straight WTA events, compiling a 35-0 run across seven weeks. Remarkable.

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Elena Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova to claim the Stuttgart crown, 7-5, 6-1, and Marta Kostyuk beat Veronika Podrez for the Rouen title, 6-3, 6-4. Those finals completed another chapter in an unusual run on the women’s tour: top seeds have won the last seven WTA events in a row.

The run began in early March with Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells and has continued through seven tournaments and seven weeks. Top seeds are 35-0 over the last seven weeks at WTA events: Sabalenka 6-0 at Indian Wells and 6-0 in Miami; Pegula 5-0 in Charleston; Bouzkova 5-0 in Bogota; Andreeva 4-0 in Linz; Rybakina 4-0 in Stuttgart; and Kostyuk 5-0 in Rouen.

Those 35 consecutive wins did not all come without drama. In the first tournament of the streak, Indian Wells, Sabalenka faced a match point against Rybakina down 6-5 in the third-set tie-break in the final before sneaking out the win, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). In Stuttgart, Rybakina saved two match points in the third set, one down 5-4 and another down 6-5 in the breaker, to survive Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6).

There were also a string of three-set victories elsewhere, including several from Pegula in Charleston before she closed out that event in straight sets. At each tournament the top seed has reached the finish line, producing an unbroken run of title-clinching performances by No. 1 seeds across the most recent slate of WTA events.

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CHAMPIONS AT THE LAST SEVEN WTA EVENTS:

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Cirstea reaches 20 tour-level wins faster than ever in final season

Cirstea reached 20 tour-level wins in 2026 faster than ever, after announcing 2026 as her last year

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Sorana Cirstea reached a career milestone on Friday night, logging her 20th tour-level victory of 2026 and doing so earlier in the season than at any point in her two-decade career. The achievement came amid a campaign that has grown stronger since she announced in the off-season that 2026 would be her final year on tour.

Cirstea recorded the landmark win by defeating Anna Bondar 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the clay-court event in Rouen, France. That victory pushed her to 20 tour-level victories for the season faster than she ever previously managed. Her prior earliest 20th win came in 2013, when she reached the mark during the grass-court season in Birmingham.

The Romanian’s form this year has been notable. Now 20-6 in 2026, Cirstea has advanced to her second WTA semifinal of the season. Earlier in the year she captured the fourth WTA title of her career at the indoor hard-court event in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in February, which was also her first career WTA title on home soil. Observers traced the momentum back to a strong second half of 2025, after which she made the decision to make 2026 her swan song on the circuit.

The Rouen quarterfinal win underlined a consistency that has defined Cirstea’s campaign: effective conversion of tight moments, shown in a first-set tiebreak, followed by a more decisive second set. The result keeps her on course for another deep run at the clay-court event and extends a season that has already produced a title, multiple semifinals and a personal-best pace to 20 tour-level victories.

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As the season unfolds, Cirstea’s earlier-than-ever arrival at this milestone will remain one of the defining storylines of her final year on tour.

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