Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry reached new heights in 2025.
The pair played six finals against each other this year, competing for two Masters 1000 titles, three Grand Slams, and the ATP Finals.
It was Alcaraz who won their 2025 head-to-head, 4-2, picking up wins at the Italian Open, French Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open, while Sinner won at Wimbledon and in Turin.
The Spaniard and Italian are, by some distance, the best players in the world right now, but why is that?
Commenting on their dominance, former world number one Andy Roddick shared what he’s seen from both players, which sets them apart from the rest.
Andy Roddick says Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s ‘honesty’ is unheard of in tennis
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, the American reflected on what Alcaraz and Sinner said after big losses this season.
“After Indian Wells, he [Carlos Alcaraz] loses to [Jack] Draper, he walks in, he goes, ‘I’m trying to find it, I’m insecure, I was nervous’,” said Roddick.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever had two guys be as honest about their deficiencies when the rest of the world doesn’t see any.
“[Jannik] Sinner goes in, post-US Open press conference, fresh off winning Wimbledon, not really losing to anyone not named Carlos, and winning the Australian Open, almost winning Roland Garros. He walks in and goes, ‘I need to change a lot.’
“That is an insane amount of self-awareness, and certainly an amount of self-awareness that I never had, to know that you’re, if not the best in the world, one of two, and to walk in straight after the US Open and have that clarity of what comes next, that’s not a normal thing for a player to have, especially that quickly after a defeat, right?”
Is Jannik Sinner currently the best player in the world?
Appearing as a guest on the show, newly retired ATP star Chris Eubanks, weighed in with his thoughts.
“I also think that Jannik has a phenomenal team around him. Having Darren [Cahill], having Simone [Vagnozzi], I’m sure these are things that they have mentioned to him already, maybe using a bit more variety…” he said.
“Against everybody else in the world not named Carlos, it’s been good enough, but now you’re coming up against that one guy, who matches you from a movement standpoint, he has the firepower that you do, he has a bit more variety, a bit more feel, and that proved to be pretty costly in that US Open.
“The guy hasn’t lost very much; it’s a little easier to assess when you’re on such a heater and then you take that one loss, and you’re like ‘What happened?’
Eubanks gives Sinner a lot of credit for making wholesale changes to his game following his defeat to Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows.
“I’m sure Jannik is a great student and listens, but when you’re on the court, and playing someone, and you know you can outbruise the guy from the back and win, it takes a special type of person to not care about the result and try to get better,” he said.
“He’s not settling with being the best in the world; he’s still looking at ways to improve.”
The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist is enjoying the rivalry between the top two players in the men’s game.
Chris Eubanks explains why Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner is such a ‘fun’ rivalry
Eubanks has loved the back-and-forth nature of Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry this year.
“Sinner is dominating Roland Garros, Alcaraz comes back, finds a way to win it, crazy. Now, the next time they play, Sinner is able to topple him at Wimbledon, a place that Carlos has won twice already,” he said.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s 2025 head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Italian Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2025 French Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – F | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 5-0 (RET) |
| 2025 US Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2025 ATP Finals – F | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 7-6, 7-5 |
“Now you come to the US Open, Carlos wins in four. Now you’re moving indoors, Sinner wins in straights.
“They’re just alternating who is winning, the level they are producing… It’s fun to watch players at the top of the game like this.
“I think the chess match is really fun to dig into. The corrections they are making and learning from each loss, they are able to flip it, find ways to get better, and then come out on top the next time, it’s remarkable.”
Only time will tell who will come out on top when they meet next on the ATP Tour, but you certainly won’t want to miss it!
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
