The end of the 2025 tennis season has revealed a fascinating contrast between the two young stars shaping the sport’s future. Carlos Alcaraz, the one who goes every mile with a smile, stumbled early-on in the Paris Masters and lost his No. 1 spot to Jannik Sinner, who breezed through to win the Paris Masters title with clinical precision. But as the season winds down and the ATP Finals in Riyadh draws closer, tennis pundits are starting to pick sides while offering their views regarding the world No. 1 title. 

Roddick, on the Served Podcast, pointed out that the indoor, late-season environment exposes the differences between the players. Talking about the Spaniard, Roddick claimed, “He’s a guy who relies on electricity from the crowd. He likes the atmosphere, he likes the show, he likes being an entertainer.” Alcaraz certainly thrives in conditions like Wimbledon and the US Open, in front of a highly energetic crowd. But as the season shifts indoors, where “every place you’re playing, it’s dark at 4:15,” the Spaniard’s spark appears to dim.

That pattern was evident as Sinner dominated the Paris Masters, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final to retake the No. 1 ranking. His ability to tune out distractions, adapt to quiet venues, and execute consistently has made him the most reliable player on tour heading into the ATP Finals. Meanwhile, the indoor court conditions threw Alcaraz off his rhythm, leading him to lose his match against Cameron Norrie.

Reflecting on the duo’s personality, Roddick stated, “It feels like, hopefully I say this correctly, but Sinner is maybe better suited personality-wise to go in, get the job done, leave, where Carlos maybe needs to get inspired a little bit more.” But there’s a pretty good reason behind the Spaniard’s exhaustion. The podcaster continued, “Carlos is saying like, ‘I’m beat up. I’m mentally exhausted. It’s a long season.’ Whereas, you’re not hearing that as much from Sinner. And people are like, ‘Oh, well, there’s a big difference between the two. And I’m going, ‘Oh, or one had three months off during the year.’”

“As much from Sinner,” is the key here. Just ahead of the clash against Ben Shelton in the Paris Masters, Jannik Sinner mentioned that he didn’t feel ‘fresh, fresh’ right after his rout against Cerundolo. The match wasn’t physically demanding, which gave Sinner the leeway to prepare for the challenge that Ben Shelton would pose. Roddick’s views on Sinner do make sense, because Sinner has control over the energy needed to expend over certain opponents than others, which puts him at an advantage over Alcaraz.

While Alcaraz derives his energy and pulse from the crowd, Sinner just has to dig in within himself, which makes him the better player, according to Andy Roddick. As far as the exhaustion of the tour and its scheduling are concerned, Alcaraz has time and again shared his two cents.

Carlos Alcaraz hints that the ruthless tennis schedules might be ‘fatal’

Earlier in September 2025, German Abril, a Spanish journalist, shared Alcaraz’s thoughts on the relentless tennis schedule through an X post. The post read, “[Translated from Spanish] One of the few bad things about tennis is that it never stops.” Following a win, the players usually have a day or two to celebrate, and then they have to get back into the action. Absolutely no breaks! And even though the Grand Slams ended with Alcaraz claiming the US Open trophy by beating Sinner, the story still goes on.

Remember what the Spanish star said at the 2024 Laver Cup, after he played 50 matches that season? He claimed, “The calendar’s so tight. A lot of tournaments … not as many days off as I want.” Then, with a touch of humor but seriousness, he added, “Probably during the next few years, it’s going to be even more mandatory tournaments. Probably they’re gonna kill us in some way.” And we all saw what happened at the Paris Masters this time. Exhaustion caught up with him, and he made mistakes that he wouldn’t have made otherwise. He made 54 unforced errors in the match against Cameron Norrie, and that put an end to his 17-match Masters 1000 win streak. He was disappointed with his performance.

Nevertheless, with Roddick publicly backing Sinner as the steadier force at the top, the debate isn’t just about talent. Alcaraz will always be the entertainer who ignites stadiums with his flair and passion. However, endurance and composure often define greatness in tennis. Sinner’s disciplined mindset could be the key that helps him stay consistent. But the quest to become the world no. 1 is a constant that continues.