“I wish I could play like this everywhere.” Jannik Sinner was stunned with himself after he finally managed to outperform archrival Carlos Alcaraz recently. Especially after his heartbreaking setback in New York last month. Remember how he vowed to make himself less “predictable”? Well, their recent clash at the Six Kings Slam showed Sinner’s will to win as he routed Alcaraz in the summit clash to win his second-straight title at the exhibition event. But one tennis icon, who happens to be Sinner’s compatriot, believes his triumph over the six-time slam champion in Riyadh was “worthless.”

Speaking on Domenica Sportiva, ex-ATP pro and Grand Slam winner Adriano Panatta expressed his honest feelings on Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry. Focusing more on the “Italian Machine,” he underlined that although Sinner’s one-sided performance was commendable, it cannot be taken seriously. “I don’t want to be a contrarian, but these exhibitions have limited value, both technically and emotionally, because I’ve never seen Sinner smile so many times during a match,” reported Tennis 365 on October 20.

He did admire Sinner’s overall playing style and the way he didn’t give any chance to Alcaraz. With a scorelineof 6-2, 6-4, he reclaimed the Six Kings Slam trophy. Not to mention he took home $6 million in prize money. But again, for Panatta to really judge the 24-year-old’s improved performance, he is eager to see that in an actual “professional” match—not an exhibition. “I repeat, these matches are worthless. It’s a good sign to see Jannik so calm and in excellent health.”

Panatta is looking forward to the year-end battle in Turin for Sinner to show his real competitive spirit. And how he will tackle Alcaraz during ATP encounters. “Now I want to watch the matches against Alcaraz in Paris (indoors), if they go ahead, and especially at the ATP Finals: those will be real matches.”

Indeed, there will be real clashes considering how crucial the upcoming campaigns are for Sinner. The race for No. 1 is still on between the Italian and the Spaniard. The latter is currently sitting on the throne. Sinner can snatch it back but…

Jannik Sinner to face a tough Carlos Alcaraz challenge for year-end No. 1 crown

For the uninitiated, Jannik Sinner is stuck in a tricky situation as far as the No. 1 spot is concerned. For him to come back to the pole position, he needs to win all of his three remaining events this season. At the Austrian Open in Vienna, he has to clinch the trophy. Similarly, the four-time slam winner will have to replicate the same result at the Paris Masters and then the ATP Finals.

Doing so will grant Sinner a total of 3,000 ranking points. In that case, he can take back his throne. However, there is a catch here. Apart from winning all three tournaments, he will have to pray for Alcaraz to lose early in his remaining events.

The Spaniard is set to compete at the Paris Masters and then the ATP Finals. In case he captures the title in both these events, he will be able to maintain his supremacy in the rankings. He will receive 2,500 ranking points in case of two straight wins. But if he loses early in either of the two campaigns, Sinner may take over.

Sinner was forced to retire in Shanghai earlier this month. He suffered from cramps during his match against Tallon Griekspoor. Had he continued there and won the trophy, he would have faced less pressure to reclaim the top spot. It will be intriguing to see if he can end up snatching the year-end No. 1 title or not.