Gilbert previews Roland Garros final: Will Alcaraz's high note 'break glass' & Sinner?

It is impossible to overstate the excitement for the Roland Garros final between World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Fans have long waited for the rivals to meet in a Grand Slam final and the superstars are ready to deliver a heavyweight battle to remember.

Former No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Brad Gilbert is looking forward to it as much as anyone and hopes for a thriller.

“Something's gotta give. [They are] 7-0 [combined in Grand Slam finals], so somebody will get their first loss, and obviously, what really takes a rivalry to another level is when you play a Slam final,” Gilbert told ATPTour.com. “Sinner day-in and day-out is a better player and I think on hard courts and indoors, especially.

“But I think on grass and clay, where it's a little bit slippery, I feel like the difference between the two of them is Sinner doesn't have off days or where it's a real low note. But Alcaraz’s high note is like — if you’ve ever heard of Ella Fitzgerald — breaking glass.
His high note is a thing of beauty.”

Sinner has not lost a set this fortnight and has dominated en route to the final with his blistering baseline play and steady demeanour. Nobody has come close to making him uncomfortable and forced him out of playing his style.

But Alcaraz leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 7-4 and has won their past four showdowns by using his dynamic skills to exceed Sinner’s high notes. Alcaraz recently defeated Sinner 7-6(5), 6-1 in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, which was the Italian’s first tournament in three months.

“That's the element that I think at the moment, maybe that's the only person that can do this versus Sinner,” Gilbert said. “He plays with such amazing variety, and you're not sure when he's going to bring it or what he's going to do. But he's had success against Sinner, so he comes in there with confidence.”

Both men have the ability to produce jaw-dropping shotmaking and stun opponents with shots that seem unfathomable. However, their path to doing so is not the same.

“Sinner is methodical and he's a little more predictable, but good luck stopping it. He doesn't have a million different paces and varieties. His amazing quality is he can hit the ball hard and not make a lot of mistakes, and he has an awesome temperament,” said Gilbert, who pointed to the Italian’s effort to bounce back against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals after failing to serve out the second set.

“No emotion, no frustration, a lot like Rafa. He just goes right back to work and breaks back the next game.”

Alcaraz is the more unpredictable player of the two. The Spaniard has so many options at his disposal that when he is in full flight, it is incredibly difficult to find an answer for every problem he presents.

“You don't know if he's going fast, you don't know if he's going spin, you don't know if he's going electric defence [or] huge offence. He might just take a return and fly in,” Gilbert said. “He could also go off, where Sinner is much more methodical. Anything hanging in the middle of the court to that guy's forehand? 
Good night, Irene.”

Historically, Sinner has been the more steady player of the two. In the semi-finals, it took nearly two sets for Alcaraz to begin fully firing. After winning a second-set tie-break, the Spaniard took full control and Lorenzo Musetti eventually retired in the fourth set.

“I think he comes out with more sense of urgency and more variety right away,” Gilbert said. “He doesn't wait for the match to settle so much with Sinner.”

Read More
Rivalries: Alcaraz vs. Sinner
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Alcaraz advances to RG final after Musetti retires

There is a lot to watch in the clash, but one thing to keep an eye on is the second-serve return. Both men will try to immediately seize control by pummeling the shot.

”Who’s going to take more advantage of the other guy's second serve?” Gilbert asked. “Sinner has been dominating all tournament on his serve, and you’ve got to figure if somebody can beat him, somebody's got to be able to win 50 per cent of their second-serve [return] points against him and get some breaks. And if Sinner is on to your second serve, good luck.” 


Gilbert believes that with both players at 100 per cent and with plenty left in the tank, it will be a tight match with the “slight edge” to Alcaraz given his recent success in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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But the margin will be fine. If Alcaraz has a dip from his highest level, Sinner will be ready to take full advantage.

Gilbert, who has coached stars including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Coco Gauff, is also curious to see if the elements will come into play.

“It'll be interesting how the weather is,
if the roof's open, if the roof is closed. Is it cold? Because it hasn't been warm,” Gilbert said. “I do think faster conditions maybe would be better for Sinner.
I think if it was indoors, I think it's better for Sinner too.”

There were 128 players when the tournament began, and only the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings remain. Now Sinner and Alcaraz will try to put on a show for the ages.

“I'm just hoping we see a five-set classic,” Gilbert said. “You’ve got the hyped-up movie. Hopefully it'll live up to the billing.”