Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner wrote the 11th chapter of their rivalry recently, when they met in the final of the Italian Open.
The Spaniard and Italian have been a class above on the ATP Tour since the beginning of 2024 and proved their talents once more in Rome.
Alcaraz and Sinner contested the Italian Open final, with the former emerging victorious in straight sets, 7-6, 6-1.
The win was Alcaraz’s seventh against the world number one, as he continues to find ways to beat Sinner.
2003 US Open champion, Andy Roddick, has now shared his thoughts on their rivalry, highlighting what Alcaraz does to Sinner that no other player in the world can.
Andy Roddick says Carlos Alcaraz is the only player who can make Jannik Sinner look ‘unbalanced’
During his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick explained why Alcaraz can beat Sinner, while other players struggle.
“You don’t see [Jannik] Sinner looking unbalanced against anyone else in the world,” he said.
“He [Alcaraz] has to play all of his shots against Sinner, there’s no surprise that when Carlos [Alcaraz] gets to a Slam final he hasn’t lost, when he gets to a Masters series final he rarely loses, lost one time.
“When he gets to that and he’s in full flight, and it’s like a canvas. He could be so much more boring against most people, but having all of those options against Sinner makes Sinner look unbalanced, like he’s not completely sure.”
Roddick then explained why he was happy to see Sinner and Alcaraz secure the number one and two seeds for the upcoming French Open.
“I’m happy they’re seeded one and two now, because they are the two best players in the world,” he said.
“I like [Alexander] Zverev, I like a lot of players, I respect those players, I’m sure they have to lie to themselves to say they’re [Alcaraz and Sinner] not the clear cut two best players in the world, or you could say I don’t need to beat them all the time, just two weeks.
“But I’m glad, it feels right that they’re the one seed, the two seed, they would only play in a final, they haven’t played in a Grand Slam final yet.
“I wish everyone well, but that’s the matchup everyone wants to see right now.”
Sinner and Alcaraz have played one another 11 times in total, but are yet to face off in a Major final.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 French Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2025 Italian Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2024 China Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2024 French Open – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2024 Indian Wells – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2023 China Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2023 Miami Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2022 US Open – QF | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2022 Croatia Open – F | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2022 Wimbledon – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-1, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 |
| 2021 Paris Masters – 2R | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 7-5 |
Highlighting the Spaniard and Italian’s dominance, Roddick predicted what he thinks will happen at Grand Slam tournaments ‘for a long time’.
“That entire vacuum of dominance that happened over Indian Wells, Miami, Carlos won Monte-Carlo but Madrid, where it’s like, going into the last four, Jack Draper could be the favorite, that was fun. That was fun,” said Roddick.
“These two are the best players in the world, asserted the dominance, have won the last five Slams.
- 2024 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2024 French Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 Wimbledon – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 US Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
“Someone will break through; they won’t win them all, but they’re going to win most of them, for a long time.”
How have Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz performed at the French Open during their careers?
Both players have enjoyed success at Roland Garros over the years, but who has performed the best in the French capital?
Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open
- Best performance – Winner (2024)
- Win/Loss record – 18-3
- Win % – 86%
- Record v Jannik Sinner – 1-0
Jannik Sinner at the French Open
- Best performance – Semi-finalist (2024)
- Win/Loss record – 16-5
- Win % – 76%
- Record v Carlos Alcaraz – 0-1
Alcaraz won the French Open in 2024, beating Sinner in the semi-finals en route to his maiden Roland Garros title.
As Roddick mentioned, they won’t face off in this year’s tournament until the final, thanks to their seeding at the event.
However, there will be several players looking to ruin the ‘dream’ Alcaraz/Sinner final for fans, none more notable than 2023 champion Novak Djokovic.
The Serb is yet to win a match on clay in 2025, but will travel to Paris as the most successful player in the field, having won the title on three occasions.
| Player | French Open titles | French Open runners-up |
| Novak Djokovic | 3 | 4 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 1 | 1 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 1 | 0 |
| Casper Ruud | 0 | 2 |
| Alexander Zverev | 0 | 1 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 0 | 1 |
Former runners-up Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas could also cause problems.
Greek star Tsitsipas may prove to be a real stumbling block for Alcaraz or Sinner in the early rounds, as he’ll travel to Paris as the number 20 seed.
Only time will tell if Alcaraz and Sinner can advance to this year’s French Open final, but it will certainly be worth tuning in for.
The 2025 French Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 25.
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