Mouratoglou picks Alcaraz over Zverev and Sinner as his player of 2026
Patrick Mouratoglou picked Carlos Alcaraz as his player of 2026 even though Zverev won Roland Garros and the US Open and will finish the year at No 1. In his view only Alcaraz made history at the Grand Slams by completing the Career Grand Slam in Melbourne at 22 years and 272 days, the youngest ever to do it.
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Zverev, Sinner ou Alcaraz? Patrick Mouratoglou respondeu à pergunta sobre quem merecia ser o melhor jogador da temporada 2026 com uma escolha que ignora a contagem de troféus.
Os quatro Grand Slams do ano foram divididos: Alcaraz levou o Aberto da Austrália, Zverev ganhou Roland Garros e o US Open, e Sinner defendeu o título de Wimbledon.
Sinner também somou cinco títulos de Masters 1000 da ATP — um recorde, já que se tornou o primeiro homem a varrer os cinco primeiros do ano — e passou a maior parte da temporada no número 1, onde está atualmente com 29 semanas. Alcaraz acrescentou os troféus de ATP 500 no Catar e no Japão ao seu major e ocupou o topo por 15 semanas antes de ser ultrapassado em meados de abril.
Zverev, cujos únicos títulos vieram em Roland Garros e em Flushing Meadows, deve terminar o ano como número 1, substituindo Sinner nas próximas semanas, depois de o italiano encerrar a temporada mais cedo por causa de uma lesão.
Mouratoglou ainda assim escolheu Alcaraz. “Zverev ganhou mais Slams neste ano e vai terminar a temporada como número 1 do mundo, mas ele não é a minha Bola de Ouro do tênis”, escreveu.
“Só um jogador fez história nos Grand Slams neste ano e é Carlos Alcaraz. Ele conquistou o Career Grand Slam e é o mais jovem a conseguir isso.”
Em Melbourne, com 22 anos e 272 dias, Alcaraz completou o Career Grand Slam, superando a marca histórica de Don Budge, de 22 anos e 363 dias, e o feito de Rafael Nadal na Era Aberta, de 24 anos e 101 dias.
O treinador também lembrou o confronto direto entre eles: “Ele venceu Zverev neste ano, na única vez em que se enfrentaram em um Grand Slam. Foi uma partida épica, Zverev sacou para o jogo, mas Carlos acabou ganhando.”
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