Tennis legend Andre Agassi gives verdict on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as predicted French Open final looms at Roland-Garros

Tennis legend and former French Open winner Andre Agassi has been giving his take on the next generation of stars in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner - and where the advantage might lie if those two make it to the Roland-Garros final. Alcaraz plays Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals in Paris, while Sinner takes on Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday’s final.

'Slight advantage' - Agassi gives verdict on Sinner and Alcaraz as final looms

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TNT Sports expert Andre Agassi knows what it takes to win the French Open, having done so back in 1999. As such, he is well placed to comment on two of the biggest names left in the men’s draw - Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz is the defending champion in Paris, while Sinner has three Grand Slam titles to his name - including the last two, having won the US Open last year and the Australian Open earlier this season.

Both have tough semi-finals to get through if they are to make the final, Alcaraz taking on Italian Lorenzo Musetti, while Sinner has to beat Novak Djokovic, the last of the ‘Big Four’ left in the men’s game.

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But should they make the final, Agassi was clear on what a spectacle it would be - and who he thinks might have the slight edge on clay.

"When I look at Alcaraz and Sinner as the two that have sort of pulled away from the pack, I see advantage Sinner on any surface that is firm underneath," Agassi told TNT Sports. "I see Alcaraz having a slight advantage on any surface that I would call slippery.

"When you look at Alcaraz, he is crazy fast defensively. This is a guy that when you watch him move on a hard court, you’d put him top three in the world in movement, you’d put him, Tommy Paul and [Alex] de Minaur.

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"Then you watch those same three run on clay, a [more] slippery surface, and you realise the fastest guys’ movement diminishes about 5% but Alcaraz’s only diminishes 1-2%.

"Alcaraz trusts his power in his legs and his second step so much, from incredibly defensive positions he can still hurt you, which means you have to have your guard up at all times."

Alcaraz leads the head-to-head against Sinner by seven matches to four, and won their latest meeting - on the clay courts of Rome.

That is the only time the duo have met this year, but it was in Sinner’s comeback tournament after his three-month suspension.

The Italian has since played himself into much stronger form, and is yet to drop a set in Paris.

"When you have a player like Sinner that can absolutely bludgeon the ball on both wings, he will never lose to somebody who doesn’t have the ability to at least hold their ground in the backhand corner," explained Agassi.

"He can hit the ball so emphatically to your backhand corner, that creates such a vacuum to your forehand corner that both sides of the court become Jannik Sinner hitting a ball into the Grand Canyon, he cannot miss it."

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Sinner has not beaten Alcaraz since 2023, but that was before his rise to the top of the rankings, and his incredible run of form in the hard court slams.

"I see two guys that play the game certainly differently, Sinner from corners, you think you’re in control of the point and you’re neutral," Agassi added.

"You’ve got Alcaraz that can make magic happen from any square centimetre on a tennis court.

"So, I think the storyline for the French Open is wide open and I’m excited to watch it unfold."

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