Yannick Noah on Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry: 'You don't know what show you're going to see'
Yannick Noah, captaining Team Europe at this year’s Laver Cup, has been given the perfect platform to reflect on the recent dominance of his leading player, Carlos Alcaraz.
As the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and 1983 Roland Garros champion, Noah knows the weight rivalries carry in shaping tennis history. Having competed in an era filled with iconic clashes, the Frenchman is well placed to comment on how the sport continues to reinvent itself through new generations, such as the compelling Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry, which has hit new heights this year.
“Three, four years ago, we all thought as tennis fans that after Roger, Rafa and Djoko, after their time, [there is] gonna be a long hole: ‘What’s gonna happen?’. The next thing you know, here are these champions coming,” Noah said in a pre-tournament Laver Cup press conference.
“I’m not such a great technician really, but I really believe in the energy that they bring because they are such interesting and different characters out there and very, very popular for the tennis fan. And of course they’re playing great tennis, we all know that. But it’s also the personalities that people like.”
Known for his on-court exuberance and flair, Noah has always placed personality at the heart of tennis. During his own career, he often thrived on rivalries: His Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Ivan Lendl, which he trailed 7-11, stood out as a defining battle that helped shape his place in the sport.
It is why, when Noah talks about players like Alcaraz, Sinner and Alexander Zverev, he emphasises not just their tennis but their individuality.
“To see the difference of personality and even within the [Laver Cup] team… What I really appreciate and I like is the fact that I can meet different guys that are so all different,” Noah said. “The journeys are different, they come from different countries and that’s what makes the circuit attractive.
“Right now you’ve seen a lot of Carlos with Jannik and Sascha and most of the guys here, but what’s interesting is that they’re so different. So you’re gonna go see the show. You don’t know what show you’re gonna really see. And the level is amazing. So that’s what makes it interesting.”
The ‘show’ was never more evident than in this year’s final at Roland Garros, where Alcaraz saved three championship points before overcoming Sinner in a breathtaking five-set battle. The 22-year-old Spaniard himself remembers that day vividly.
“I remember, obviously, the feeling that I had in that match. I was playing great until match [points] down, I felt like it was about the details. That is core,” Alcaraz said. “And you know what? I can say just that I believed all the time that I was able to come back and that I was able to win that match. I think that that’s the most important thing from my perspective.”
Competing as the World No. 1 for the first time since September 2023, Alcaraz will be eager to bring that same resilience this weekend at the Laver Cup, where he will spearhead Team Europe’s quest for its second consecutive title under Noah’s guidance.
They will face fierce competition from Team World, which features Top 10 stars Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, as well as rising #NextGenATP Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
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