Andy Roddick has labelled Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s recent achievements across all surfaces as ‘absurd’, making comparisons to Pete Sampras’ lack of all-court prowess.
The Spaniard and the Italian have dominated the last 28 months, winning all of the last nine Grand Slams and a majority of the Masters 1000 events, in addition to the last two year-end number one finishes.
Most recently, the two competed in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, with Sinner prevailing 7-6(5), 6-3.
With the result, the four-time Grand Slam champion regained the world No 1 status for the first time since mid-2025.
Last season, they also faced off in the final of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open – a feat which Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic did not manage to accomplish.
Roddick, who is a former world No 1 himself, remarked upon the pair’s all-court abilities and commented that their success has elevated expectations to heights that are impossible to consistently meet.
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“Sinner shows up and wins again, beats Alcaraz. These two are just elevating,” Roddick commented on the Served Podcast.
“We have been saying it for a long time but then they just prove it harder. It’s just a joke.
“Let’s think about a couple of things that we would have said about Sinner not even five years ago, two years ago. He is going to win a bunch of majors.
“Can he play on clay? Grass is not his favourite surface. Can he sustain it all the time? Yes, yes, yes [he has answered].
Clay is a great surface for Alcaraz. But Sinner did not miss a beat.
“Indian Wells, which is a way different experience to Miami which is way different to Monte Carlo.
“You put these guys on anything and that was the big change that happened during I say my generation but Roger, Rafa, Novak.
“Pete [Sampras] was dominant and Pete was amazing. He won 14 Slams. He is six time year end number one. But Pete would lose in the Roland Garros third round sometimes.
“He would take weird losses.
“Sinner lost one match in the Middle East and we were like what is going on? But that’s an expectation created by your own shadow. It’s just absurd.”
Indeed, Sampras – famously – never reached a final at the French Open and collected just three clay-court titles across his glittering career.
In January, Alcaraz became the youngest person to win all four Grand Slams, with Sinner just needing a French Open title – a feat he was one point away from in 2025 – to join the list and complete his trophy cabinet.