Mats Wilander, 61 years old and winner of seven Grand Slam titles, three of them on the courts of Melbourne Park, speaks to MARCA a few days before the start of the Antipodean major where Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner again appear as candidates for the crown. Wilander is part of the team of experts for a tournament that can be followed in its entirety, live and exclusively through HBO Max and Eurosport channels.
Question. The Australian Open has increased the prize money, which is something that players have been clamouring for some time. Do you think the letters that the players have sent to the four Grand Slams are having an influence?
It has been a long time since tennis players have been asking for a greater share of the profits from the big tournaments. It is important that more money is being given. I don’t care if Alcaraz and Sinner earn more, what matters is that those who lose in the first and second round earn more. That will mean they can have better coaches, better physical trainers. In a world as professional as tennis you need to travel with a coach and a physical trainer. You need a team as complete as Sabalenka’s. If earnings are increased in the early rounds there will be more chance of this being a reality for players ranked between 100 and 150. I don’t think tennis players earn more than in other sports. There are many businesses where you earn more. It’s good that the Grand Slams distribute the money because they are the big events we have on the calendar and that everyone follows
Does Alexander Zverev count for you in the pools to win a ‘major’?
Yes, he can still win it. It doesn’t matter if he hasn’t won matches or tournaments in the weeks leading up to it. He has enough quality to do it. His serve and his backhand are so good that what he needs most is confidence. And that can come after a match. Confidence, in his case, depends on a win, on getting through a round. He doesn’t need a title. After his results over the last eight years, you can’t rule him out of the possibility of winning a major. I think the Australian Open is where he might have the best chance because both the courts and the balls are very fast. Sascha’s serve does a lot of damage in those conditions. I think he has a Grand Slam crown in his racket and he will get it before he retires
Does Zverev’s serve help him to stand up to Alcaraz and Sinner?A. His shots adapt better the faster the playing surface, that’s what I say. If he serves well and you don’t break his serve, that also improves his tennis from the baseline
Being the youngest to complete the ‘Grand Slam’ is one of tennis’ great records
Alcaraz, at 22, is aiming to be the youngest to lift all four majors. Do you consider this to be one of the great records in tennis?
Yes, that is one of the great records. There are many players with three of the four Grand Slams to their name. You can’t say he’s one of the favourites in Australia today because he’s struggled to get good results there. But he’s sure to win in Melbourne. And Sinner will also win Roland Garros one day and will have all four. They are both too good. If Rafa Nadal, with the style he had, learned to play on grass or on the hard courts of Australia, Carlos and Jannik will know how to win where they have not yet done so
Will Carlitos and Jannik share the last eight Grand Slams? Will this situation be repeated in 2026?
I don’t see anyone who can beat them. I think the same thing will happen again and the same four will win this season. There is a big difference between playing best-of-three or five-set matches. From a very young age, both have learned to handle these long duels. And I compare them with Zverev, who has shown in the past to have difficulties when the outcome is long. Now he is more prepared. I don’t see anyone who can beat Alcaraz and Sinner, because it must be emphasized that you have to beat both of them. You can beat one, but beating both of them seems almost impossible
Djokovic has gracefully removed the crown of King and has been able to give it to another
Why do you think Novak Djokovic is still playing?
Because I think he thinks he can win another major. He is convinced that he can do it because last year he came very close in all of them. He loves competing, being a professional tennis player… It’s clear that he wouldn’t love to travel less and be at home more. But he doesn’t play many tournaments. He has already said that he wants to continue until the Los Angeles Olympics. I like to see players when they have problems because you see what they are really like in the way they react. And with Novak we have seen it. He has lost to Alcaraz and Sinner and has always done so with class. He shakes their hand and accepts that today they are better than him. The good thing about Djokovic is that he has taken off the crown of King and given it to someone else. That didn’t happen with Pete Sampras, for example. We can say that Alcaraz and Sinner are better, at present, than the best player in history
Alexander Bublik is making his debut as a top-10 player this week. How do you see his figure on the circuit?R. We need different styles and personalities and Sascha has all that. His tennis is more normal than in previous years and that is why he is achieving better results. He no longer makes crazy shots, maybe once in a while. It’s good that there are players like Stan, Kyrgios, Bublik…
Beating Carlitos and Jannik in the same tournament seems almost impossible
How do you see the tennis of the future?
Tennis is changing because it is more aggressive. You have to take the ball earlier. There was a time when you could stay back and hit it hard. It was enough and it is not anymore. You have to be able to do what Sinner does, which is to hit it as soon as possible. You open more angle and the ball circulates at a higher speed. The future goes through here. Carlitos does it but not so much
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