Alcaraz and Sinner have a consistency that the rest of the Top 10 lack

Andrés Tomás Rico | 19 Dec 2025 | 18.00

"Alcaraz and Sinner have a consistency that the rest of the Top 10 lack." Photo: Gettyimages

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Matteo Arnaldi has not had the season he expected. After a 2024 where he achieved his best ATP ranking (30th) and showed great consistency, this year was seen as a continuation and a possible option to be a highly regarded player.

However, Matteo Arnaldi's 2025 was quite the opposite. Instead of climbing positions in the ranking, he has been slipping down to finish the season as the world number 61 with a negative win-loss record (20-24) and his best results being quarterfinals at the Mutua Madrid Open and semifinals at Delray Beach.

This inconsistent year of play and results prevented him from being called up by Filippo Volandri to be part of the Italian team in the Davis Cup finals, where he was a key player in the 2023 title. Therefore, the San Remo native aims to turn the page on a year where physical issues, particularly his injured foot, have also not been on his side. This is what he reveals in an interview for Spazio Tennis, where he also praised Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and unveiled his new coach: Marcel Du Coudray.

Arnaldi confesses the physical problems that plagued him throughout the season

"It was a tough year. I started the year in Australia, when I played against Musetti. That was the first time I started feeling issues with my foot, and from there, the whole year was an uphill battle. I changed shoes and played quite well during the American season, but always with pain."

"Luckily, on clay, it was the only time that it didn't bother me because with less grip, you slip more easily, and I didn't have too much pain. There was always some pain, but not too much, so I could play as I wanted, move as I wanted, and in fact, that was the best part of the season. Later, I have to say that there was some pain, but not excessive, even on the grass, but I had bad luck there because I had another issue with my ankle, causing me a lot of pain."

New coach for 2026: Marcel Du Coudray

"It was difficult for me, no doubt, in the sense that I had always been with Ale Petrone, so it was hard to change, to start a new path, so all the decisions made prior to this were very challenging. So, I definitely start from there, then to get to the point that, as it was a last-minute decision, at the end of the year, it wasn't even easy to find a new coach or do the research that perhaps someone looking for a new coach can do."

"Marcel seemed like the ideal person right now, the one with the most experience and the one who could contribute the most to me, both on the court and especially in the technical aspect, where I believe there are still many things I can and should work on. So I wanted to find a combination; I didn't just want someone who might be a former player or someone who could give me a lot on the field but also someone who could provide me something from a technical-tactical point of view. He was, in my opinion, the perfect match I was looking for."

He is aware of the great potential of his tennis

"I know where my level is. I know it won't be easy to recover immediately because I've never been so injured, never been out of playing for so long. I know that if I play well and I'm okay, I'm dangerous, so I'll try to play many matches to find consistency, find games, regain a bit of my tennis and feel good again on the court without pain. And then from there, we'll try to rebuild the ranking and also rebuild myself a bit and my personality on the court."

Matteo Arnaldi spoke about the difference between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner compared to the rest of the ATP circuit

"Alcaraz and Sinner have a consistency that the rest of the Top 10 lacks, but besides their incredible consistency, in my opinion, they have an extra element to their game in crucial moments that others currently do not possess. The biggest difference is their consistency. Zverev, Fritz, and many others always have close matches but then do not win two or three tournaments in a row or perhaps lose early in a Grand Slam, while they have practically dominated almost all tournaments in the last two years."

"Alcaraz has won more this year, but at the beginning of the year, he lost a few more matches between Indian Wells and Miami. On the other hand, Sinner usually only loses to Carlos and maybe one or two more. So, undoubtedly, they are two people that it is a pleasure to have around right now, whom I admire a lot; you try to analyze them, try to understand what they do well. What is their secret? What makes them so consistent? That is what I was looking for: consistency. So, for me, it is definitely good to have them on the tour, to be close to them and see what they do," concludes Matteo Arnaldi, hoping that 2026, with a new coach included, will see him once again as a player to be reckoned with.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Alcaraz y Sinner tienen una consistencia que les falta al resto del Top 10"