Who will win the Grand Slams? Where is the potential of the Swiss and which youngsters could upset the big boys? Tennis expert Heinz Günthardt dares to look into the crystal ball for blue Sport.
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- Heinz Günthardt also sees Alcaraz and Sinner as clear favorites for the Grand Slams in 2026.
- Although some young players have great potential, they have not yet reached the level of former exceptional talents such as Nadal.
- Günthardt has high hopes for the Swiss hopefuls Stricker, Riedi and Kym - but consistency, health and more playing practice at the top level are crucial.
Heinz Günthardt is particularly keen to see whether anyone can break through the phalanx of the two dominators Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner before the start of the Australian Open. So that "the duel becomes a three- or four-way battle", says the Zurich native.
He recalls the early days with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. "Then Novak Djokovic was able to suck it up and later Andy Murray came along - in between, Stan showed that there are other players who can win a Grand Slam tournament," says Günthardt.
Which young player is most likely to bring down the established top stars? "The Czech Jakub Menšík has been playing extremely solidly for some time now at the age of 20. But he lacks athleticism here and there. He's not quite as supple," says Günthardt, adding: "Henry Bernet almost beat him in Basel. You can see how close the world's top players are."
Like Federer and Nadal in the past
At the moment, however, he doesn't see any youngsters coming straight to the top, as was the case with Alcaraz or Sinner or Nadal in the past. "There are many who have potential. For example, the American Learner Tien." Günthardt continues: "It would be nice if one of these youngsters could make it to the top and play at the same level as those two."
Realistically, however, Alcaraz and Sinner will decide the Grand Slam victories between themselves, as they did last year, explains the 66-year-old. It's like when Federer and Nadal were able to dominate almost at will before Djokovic joined them later. "Alcaraz and Sinner are at a similar level. I don't think that will change much this year," he sums up.
Level for absolute world class
And what does Günthardt think of the Swiss men's squad of Leandro Riedi, Dominic Stricker and Jérôme Kym? "It will be important for them to stay healthy. We've had a lot of bad luck with injuries. All three have shown how well they can play tennis when certain things come together. They have the level to be able to play in the absolute world class," the coach of the Swiss Fed Cup team is certain.
Günthardt explains that you have to play the appropriate tournaments over a period of twelve months in order to move up the rankings so that you are seeded at a major tournament. "With all this bad luck with injuries, it's not easy to keep coming back because the competition is so fierce. Not just in the first top 100, but also between the 100th and 200th places," says the long-time SRF expert.
