Heat on Sinner as Alcaraz’s absence prompts the question: who can fill the void?
Jannik Sinner is not a man for great displays of emotion, but not even the world No 1 could maintain his poker face this time.In the aftermath of an arduous opening win in Madrid on Friday, Sinner learned of the most significant news of the year – Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the French Open because of a right wrist injury – during his on-court interview.Sinner’s face immediately fell and he was clearly still processing the information after giving his answer.Later, in his press conference, the Italian lamented Alcaraz’s absence with sincerity: “Tennis needs Carlos,” he said.“Tennis is a much better sport when he’s around.
”This is primarily tough for Alcaraz himself, who started this season at the Australian Open by winning his seventh grand slam title and completing the career slam at 22.Last year, the Spaniard’s presence at Roland Garros led to one of tennis’s greatest comebacks as he recovered from a triple championship-point deficit against Sinner to defend his title.It is an enormous shame that he will not have the chance to return to Paris a year later.With Wimbledon starting only three weeks after the French Open, his grass-court season is also uncertain.Alcaraz must take every precaution when dealing with a wrist injury.
The sport will be in a tough position for as long as he is out, and not only because Alcaraz’s dynamic, complete game is one of the most exciting spectacles in sport,The history of tennis is told through its greatest rivalries and the start of this clay-court season positioned the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly further away from the field than ever before,It is difficult to remember a period when the men’s tour was so reliant on just two players with nobody else to even challenge them,The coming weeks will show what the sport looks like without one of those two pillars holding it up,Dominant spells from top players can often inspire improvement elsewhere, with the other players having no choice but to close the gap.
However, four months into the season, the gap has only widened,A brief run down of the rest of the top 10: Alexander Zverev is playing quite well but has lost his last eight matches and 12 sets against Sinner,Novak Djokovic will be 39 in Paris and he has played once since his brilliant run to the Australian Open final,Ben Shelton, who performed well to win his first clay-court title in Munich last week, is already out of Madrid,Félix Auger-Aliassime’s game is not perfectly suited to the clay.
Taylor Fritz is navigating various injury problems and is even less effective on clay.After his meek 6-3, 6-1 loss to Rafael Jódar in Madrid, Alex de Minaur is officially in a slump.Danill Medvedev’s first foray on clay courts this year ended with him losing, shockingly, 6-0, 6-0 to Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo.Lorenzo Musetti, who would have benefited immensely from Alcaraz’s absence during his own impressive clay-court season last year, is trying to find his form again after numerous injuries.Additionally, Britain’s Jack Draper is in the biggest injury crisis of his snake-bitten career.
This is far from an energised, thriving field of challengers.Still, the absence of one of the tour’s two pillars could even represent a career-defining opportunity for any quality player who finds his feet in the coming weeks, particularly if he falls into the bottom half of the French Open draw, as far away from Sinner as possible.This moment could also be the making of the numerous young talents on the tour, such as João Fonseca, Jódar, Jakub Mensik or Learner Tien.One player who has bucked this trend by performing consistently well this year is Arthur Fils, author of the most heartening and notable story of the year.He was forced off the tour last year for the better part of eight months by a stress fracture in his back, yet the Frenchman has returned playing the best tennis of his young career.
The 21-year-old’s title in Barcelona last week was the latest success and he now sits at No 6 in the rankings despite missing the first month of the year,Fils has the weapons, athleticism and toughness to mark himself as a contender, but the coming weeks, as he heads into the pressure cooker of a home grand slam, will ask everything of him,Above all, Alcaraz’s absence clearly represents a significant moment for Sinner, whose chances of completing his own career slam at the French Open have improved dramatically,The Italian has already shown he is capable of beating the French Open champion on clay but the road is so much clearer without the only player who can consistently beat him,Around the grounds in Madrid, shortly after Alcaraz’s withdrawal, some spectators could even be heard discussing whether Sinner may end up winning all nine Masters titles this year, an unheard-of achievement.
The absence of Alcaraz, who absorbed so much attention, will also present an immense challenge for Sinner.From now until whenever his rival returns, all eyes will be trained firmly on the No 1.Sinner will enter every match fully aware that he is expected to win every point, set, match and tournament without fail.Considering his flawless results in recent weeks and dominant recent record against nearly every potential rival, this is completely reasonable.It will be up to Sinner to take the immense pressure in his stride and keep on moving forward.
‘As intense as perfume’: which eaux de vie are worth trying?
Nearly every European country has its own fruit brandy. Some are a bit agricultural so here’s a taste of the bestThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.“I’ve had people burst into tears tasting these – it takes them straight back to a moment in their past
Folded, whipped or baked into something golden, ricotta is brilliant and adaptable
My record for making ricotta and lemon ring cake is three minutes and 42 seconds. That doesn’t include heating the oven or baking, or finding a recipe, which is in my head. It does include getting out the utensils (bowl, spatula, grater, scale, ring tin) and the ingredients (ricotta, olive oil, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, lemons), then speed-mixing everything in one bowl, scraping the batter into the tin and getting the tin in the oven via a discus throw. The timer is stopped as the oven door is closed. This is not relaxing cooking, it is entertaining cooking
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for almond and lemon spiced treacle tart | A kitchen in Rome
It wasn’t that dessert trolleys were banned in Italy during Covid, but guidelines from the Instituto Superiore di Sanità (national institute of health) were so (necessarily) rigorous around these “potential vehicles of the virus” that most places banished them to storerooms. Happily, many restaurants have since retrieved them from their long stay, so they glide or rattle between tables once more, or sit parked in an admirable position. This isn’t my first time mentioning the dessert trolley at La Torricella here in Testaccio, having written about its fabulous puff pastry and cream millefoglie in the past. But another dessert that might catch your eye as you enter the restaurant and look right at the cloth-covered trolley parked under the bar is what owner Augusto refers to as torta medievale, because of its spiced almond and dried fruit filling. It’s an unassuming but extremely good thing
I’m welcoming in spring with big Mediterranean flavours
A combination of the warmer weather, dusting off my sunglasses and the impending release of my new book, MEDesque (out on Thursday!), has got me fully focused on sunshine food and Mediterranean flavours. OK, so I’m not quite in rosé-in-the-garden territory just yet, but it’s close. And I am counting down the days. At home, I am leaning heavily on recipes from the queen of all things Med, Claudia Roden, to get my fix. Big hitters such as her bean stew with chorizo and bacon and chicken traybake with olives and boiled lemon deliver on all fronts, and immediately transport me to my favourite region
Save blue cheese rind for this unbeatable dressing – recipe | Waste not
On a single crumb of cheese rind there are more than 10 billion microbes: that’s more microbial cells than there are people on Earth. Cheese rind is an intensified expression of the cheese, with a powerful flavour and highly concentrated community of good bacteria, yeast and mould. But it is misunderstood and underrated, and often removed and discarded. Though it can be intense, it’s almost always edible, unless it’s grown new mould or contains synthetic plastic, wax or cloth, which should be removed.Like an apple or slice of bread, the skin, crust or rind add texture, flavour and nutrients to the eating experience
Head’s up: 12 main-course cauliflower recipes from easy to ambitious
Cauliflower looks like the ghost of broccoli, or a human brain that has been drained of blood. As is the case with many overlooked vegetables, boiling is the absolutely second-worst way to cook it (we do not talk about cauliflower rice), while roasting is best, to coax out its sweet and nutty flavours. A whole head is very good and affordable in Australia at the moment and can easily feed a whole family.Marrying florets with warm spices and fragrant baked rice, Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe is finished with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice to keep the flavour fresh. Pick a purple cauliflower and the acid at the end will flush the florets bright pink
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