01/04/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | APR 1, 2026

28 Top two battle for tennis supremacy Sinner’s ‘Sunshine Double’ sends clear message to world No . 1 Alcaraz A MONTH ago, Jannik Sinner arrived at Indian Wells with a point to prove and ground to make up. A month later, the Carlos Alcaraz the opportunity to com plete the career grand slam was sur prisingly ended by Novak Djokovic in five epic sets in Melbourne. He did not panic when that disap “We had very, very long practice days, a lot of hours,” Sinner told the Tennis Channel . “In five weeks I had one day off, before Indian Wells, and one tennis day off in Miami because it was raining. So a lot of sessions.” “But I want to finish my career say ing I did everything possible to be the best possible version of myself. If I see these results, it’s amazing. If I serve the same way I did a couple of years ago, maybe I would not win. But he could also suck the spirit from his opponents if he found the early break in sets, such as against Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals and in the rain-interrupted final against Lehecka. Ű BY JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

pointment was followed by a semifinal defeat to Jabuk Mensik in Doha; acknowledging he was experiencing a “small down” following what was a stellar run of results on the hard-courts to end the 2025 season was as alarmist as it gets from the usually stoic World No. 2. The “Sunshine Double” presented Sinner with the chance to reset, how ever. The Wimbledon champion missed both tournaments last year while serving his three-month doping suspension, which meant he had no points to defend from last season. With Alcaraz stretching his enor mous lead over Sinner at the top of the rankings, the Italian had identified Indian Wells and Miami as “impor tant” events to claw himself in range of the World No. 1.

“So I always try to improve and understand what’s going well and what’s not. To do so you need to have a very honest team behind you even when things are going in the right direction, to say ‘no, this doesn’t suit you very well,’ or, ‘we need to change this.’ “I’m someone who doesn’t wait. I’m happy to do it during tournaments sometimes. And that is for sure one of my secrets. Everyone is different but this is just how I see the sport.” In Miami, Sinner would reach his best level in decisive moments. He emerged with his run of consecutive sets unscathed after tight second-set tiebreaks against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and Alex Michelsen in the fourth round.

While Sinner did not need to face Alcaraz at either tournament, with the Spaniard knocked out by Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semifi nals before he was upset by Sebastian Korda in the third round of Miami, his serve has gone to another level. His coaching team, led by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, have con tinued to make tweaks to Sinner’s serve even as he has become the most con sistent hard-court player in the world and a four-time grand slam champion, a process he said required a lot of “trust and belief”. “Being young and winning big titles, then to change (the serve), you need to be mentally quite open,” Sinner explained to the Tennis Channel .

“He’s a great front runner and that was the biggest issue today,” Tiafoe said after his 6-2, 6-2 defeat. But for the next few weeks, Sinner will also be chasing. While he does not have long to prepare for the opening tournament of the clay-court season in Monte Carlo, he does not have any ranking points to defend until he returns to his home tournament in Rome in May, putting the World No. 2 in a great position to further reduce Alcaraz’s advantage. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has 2,390 more points to defend than Sinner through to the end of Roland Garros. “Now we go to clay, and we all know how strong he is there,” Sinner said. “Let’s see what’s coming.” – The Independent

Italian departed Miami with a historic “Sunshine Double” complete and a clear target in his sights. With a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jiri Lehecka at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Sinner became just the eighth man to win Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back. He also became the first man ever to do so without losing a single set, a run of form at the Masters events that stretches back to a third title in Paris last November. The 24-year-old joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only players to win three consecutive Masters titles, though Sinner’s record in doing so has been imperious. Sinner’s quest to defend the Australian Open title and deny his rival F1 star Colapinto abused online after Suzuka crash FRANCO COLAPINTO has been the subject of online “hate” following Ollie Bearman’s high speed crash in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, according to his management. Colapinto’s Alpine was in front of Bearman’s Haas in Lap 22 of the 53-lap race when the catastrophe struck. Bearman attempted to overtake Colapinto, but his car instead ended up on the grass before spinning and crashing out at the Spoon Curve. Having hit the barrier on the outside of the corner, Bearman was able to move himself from the car but was seen limping as he made his way from the track and then transferred to the circuit’s Medical Centre. The Brit was later given the all-clear after an X-ray revealed he had not suffered any fractures. The impact of Bearman’s crash was recorded at 50G, with the Haas driver going at 308kph when he lost control of his car before crashing. Some have blamed the crash on the new Formula 1 regulations, which has seen huge speed differences between drivers in close proximity. This has been put down to battery management, with Max Verstappen describing it as like “Mario Kart”. But despite this, Colapinto’s management has confirmed that he has been blamed for the incident, with some fans giving him “hate” on social media. Bullet Sports Management said: “A race to forget. Franco was doing a great job before he got unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car, which ruined his chances of fighting for points. “We also can’t ignore the incident that led to Ollie Bearman’s crash, one in which Franco was not at fault. It was a consequence of the new energy management rules, as confirmed by the FIA’s official statement. Despite this, Franco is receiving unjustified criticism and hate, so let’s show him all the love and support he deserves.” When asked by a fan to speak about threats Colapinto was receiving, Bullet replied: “We don’t have any influence over any other driver’s fans, and chances are they don’t even follow us. “It’s not our responsibility to worry about their fandoms. We leave that to their teams and people. We’re grateful that the majority of Franco’s fans are kind and supportive.” Bullet added: “Guys, don’t worry. Franco is in great hands and has all the support he needs.” – Express Newspapers

Wolff cast doubt over Horner’s F1 return

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff reflects on the possible return of rival Christian Horner (inset) amidst growing speculation. – AFPPIC/REUTERSPIC

MERCEDES CHIEF Toto Wolff has said he is in “two minds” about the possibility of Christian Horner returning to F1. Horner is looking to return to the sport after being sacked as Red Bull principal in July. He was linked with a move to Aston Martin, but they have opted to appoint Jonathan Wheatley instead. Horner has also been linked with the possibility of acquiring a 24% of shares in Alpine as part of a group of investors. It, however, seems that he will again be going up against Wolff and Mercedes. The team are look ing at buying private investment firm Otoro Capital’s shares in the team. Speaking to the Press Association , Wolff cast doubt over Horner’s return to the sport and gave an update on the possible investment. “He (Horner) has broken quite a lot of glass, and these things have repercussions in our microcosm. When you say things… “But that is what he has done all his life, and

ally or someone that shares objectives? I don’t think so. “But even when I had the biggest frustration, and anger with him, you need to remind yourself that even your worst enemy has a best friend so there must be some goodness. “If there wasn’t that competitive rivalry over so many years, and if there was more water down the river, I am sure I could have hunged with him over dinner and a had a laugh. “Over those years it was just too intense, too fierce, and things happened which even today I cannot comprehend why he has done them. “I don’t know if he is finding his way back, and in which function. I certainly don’t wish him bad. And we need to give each other credit. There are not many team principals who have done what he has done. “I see a situation that whatever happens, what ever outcomes there may be, whether he comes back to Formula One or not, I am at ease with it.” – Express Newspapers

that is what he knows best,”Wolff said. “Us looking at that stake is in no connection with Christian. And the idea that there is a rivalry between Christian and me around who buys an Alpine stake is made up. “It would be quite sad if that was a considera tion of doing such an investment or not. We are looking at it from different angles, and we haven’t come to any conclusions. We want to know whether it makes sense.” Going deeper into his doubts surrounding Horner, Wolff has given his honest verdict on a pos sible return to the paddock. He added: “I am in two minds about it (Horner returning to F1). “The sport is missing personalities. And his per sonality was clearly very controversial and that is good for the sport. “I said to (Ferrari team principal) Fred Vasseur that it needs ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’. And it is now only the good and the ugly left. The bad is gone. Would I consider that he could ever be an