“Jannik is the best right now,” Alcaraz told reporters in Rotterdam on Sunday. “He has lost only four or five matches in the past year, so it’s crazy. I know people say who’s better out of us. They say Jannik is better or some say me. It’s all discussion.

Mouratoglou had said that Alcaraz was the better player after he went on a 3-0 run against Sinner last year. “I don’t agree with what Mouratoglou said. Jannik will have lost 4/5 matches in a year, he has no ups and downs. In every tournament he participates in he either reaches the final or lifts the trophy,” he said.

Alcaraz, the 21-year-old world number three, won the French Open and Wimbledon titles last year, splitting the four Grand Slam tournaments with 23-year-old Sinner. The Spaniard also improved his head-to-head record with the Italian to 6-4, beating Sinner three times in as many meetings. Sinner, meanwhile, won 73 of his 79 matches last year including the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, which he successfully defended at Melbourne Park last month.

Alcaraz further sympathised with Sinner after the Italian pulled out of the ATP tournament in Rotterdam where the Spaniard is set to start his campaign against Dutch wild card Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat him in the second round at the U.S. Open in August.

“Sinner’s withdrawal? I understand, I know how difficult it is to stay healthy after a Slam where you go all the way. I guess he didn’t feel ready to play another tournament so soon, which was smart,” Alcaraz said.