John McEnroe & Bjorn Borg had this one thing in their era Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner don't, claims ex-pro

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner might be well on their way to becoming two of the greatest tennis players to grace the modern era, but one ex-ATP pro isn't all that convinced that their era makes for good entertainment.

Alcaraz and Sinner ended the 2025 season sweeping all four Grand Slams for their second year in a row. The Spaniard finished as the World No. 1 spot, followed by his arch-rival at No. 2. In terms of points, the duo are far ahead of World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, underlining their dominance.

But their dominance is also the sign of what tennis has become these days, according to Adriano Panatta. Panatta, who won the 1976 French Open, believes that tennis today has become monotonous and without any variety, a far cry from his days.

Speaking to 'Radio Deejay' in a recent interview, the Italian insisted that back in the 70s, tennis had more balance and a top 10 that was more competitive. He brought up the examples of baseliners like Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas, highlighting how they would dominate the tour but still struggle against aggressive players like John McEnroe or himself.

Panatta is of the opinion that such techniques have become a rarity now, with players like Alcaraz and Sinner only having to deal with other baseliners who play a milder version of their own style.

"If you look at the world rankings in the 1970s, the top ten had won at least one Grand Slam tournament. There was much more balance, and they could lose too. Today, they never lose. They are very strong, but the style of play has become homogenized," he said (as collected by We Are Tennis).

"Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas always won when they faced players who played like them. Then they would play against John McEnroe or me, and they would lose because we played differently. Today, they all play the same way. There are no more attackers,” he added.

Panatta, to his credit, is the only player to defeat Borg twice at the French Open, once in 1976 and before that in 1973.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner met six times in 2025

Nitto ATP Finals 2025 - Day 8 - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner met six times on tour in 2025, with Alcaraz running away 4-2 in the head-to-head. The Spaniard lost in the final of the Wimbledon Championships and then in the final of the ATP Finals against Sinner.

The duo also faced in the final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, where Sinner won to take home a massive $6 million prize money bounty. Overall, their head-to-head record now is 10-6 in favor of Alcaraz.