After the era of Big 4, it is the ‘SinCaraz’ era now, as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz took over the sport. Either Alcaraz or Sinner taking nearly every major tournament since the 2024 season. Fans and legends are choosing their picks, and an iconic old-school coach revealed how he could even improve the ‘robot’ on the court.

Jannik Sinner earned the nickname ‘robot’ for his power hitting. Having just swept the clay-court Masters series ahead of Roland Garros, the Italian is eyeing his fifth Grand Slam. However, Toni Nadal sees something that the current coaches fail to. When asked who he would coach between Sinner and his co-countryman Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal had a clear response.

“I would coach Sinner. He has discipline, good manners, and a mentality that reminds me of the greatest.

The Spaniard was quite clear in his reasoning while talking at an event in Rome. “I like working with people who don’t create problems and who accept the truth. Everything in life can be improved: it’s just a matter of dedication.”

Giving the unvarnished truth was an inherent coaching style of Toni Nadal, something he used with Rafael Nadal as well. He was critical of the current coaching scene.

“Today, many coaches have to tell players what they want to hear. I’ve never done that,” revealed Nadal.

The “no excuse rule” was a popular coaching tactic used by Nadal while he coached his nephew to 17 Grand Slam titles, even at an early age. His approach proved itself as Felix Auger-Aliassime’s breakthrough came under Nadal’s tutelage.

In a collaboration that began in 2021, Nadal helped the Canadian overcome his “finals” hurdle, after he had lost his first seven Tour-level finals. Auger-Aliassime won 5 ATP Tour singles titles while working with coach Toni Nadal.

In 2022, Nadal chose not to sit in Auger-Aliassime’s match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open, openly admitting to his allegiance to his nephew. That incident might have thrown some shade on him as a coach, but it does not change the fact that Auger-Aliassime was only the third player ever to push Nadal to five sets at Roland Garros, a salute to Uncle Toni’s coaching.

Not everyone is as comfortable with Toni Nadal’s direct style of criticism. These are different times as well, as was seen in the case of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Goran Ivanisevic.

The hyped-up collaboration lasted only a few months last year, as the veteran Croatian was publicly critical of the Greek player’s fitness, which was not well received by the latter. On the women’s side, we have seen how Emma Raducanu has been on a constant search for the right coaching fit since her 2021 US Open triumph, and that has affected the Brit’s on-court performances as well. 

Despite Nadal’s admission, Sinner begins his French Open campaign after a grueling clay-court run.

Jannik Sinner Talks About His Preparations for His French Open Run

Few players enter a major as heavily a favorite as Sinner does at Roland Garros 2026. With Carlos Alcaraz out of the competition due to injury, a lot of fans and pundits believe that the major is Sinner’s to lose. However, the World No.1 has arrived at Roland Garros after a long clay-court season, during which he swept all the clay-court Masters events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.

Speaking to the press on media day at the 2026 French Open, the Italian was open about his schedule and preparation.

“I think that’s been a very, very long but very positive period. I’m lucky to be in this position,” said the Italian when asked about whether he could find the energy for the upcoming two-week event.

“I think it’s always better to be in a position where you win, and you start to feel tired, and you feel very good, but you lose a couple of rounds. I try to have a good balance now at the practice courts, with pushing and understanding when to push and then hopefully be ready for the first round matches.”

Sinner will need his peak fitness, as this year’s French Open is expected to see a heatwave in Paris, with temperatures predicted to be above 30 degrees. Even though Sinner will get night-session slots as the top seed, the Italian will likely have to overcome the humidity. Extreme weather conditions can hamper the Italian, as has been well documented in his career and was seen as recently as the Italian Open, where he felt sick against Daniil Medvedev.

Sinner will begin the quest for a career grand slam on Tuesday as he faces Clement Tabur in the first round.