Carlos Alcaraz reveals what happened before his match with Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final which was completely different to usual

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Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as the new Italian Open champion, defeating Jannik Sinner in the final in Rome.

Alcaraz has emulated Roger Federer after overcoming home favourite Sinner, who was playing in his first tournament since returning from a three-month ban.

The world number one was the top seed at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, and met third seed Alcaraz in the final.

And it was the Spaniard who came out on top in an entertaining battle, winning their Italian Open final 7-6(7-5), 6-1.

Alcaraz now has seven ATP Masters 1000 titles to his name, having ended a 26-match winning streak from Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz shares what happened before his Italian Open final win over Jannik Sinner

Sinner has congratulated Alcaraz on his success, with the champion sharing insight into his pre-match feelings in Rome, particularly what was different about previous meetings between the duo.

“I am going to say the way I approached the match,” he said after the win on Sky Sports Tennis. “Every time before when I face Jannik before the match I feel the nerves. I think today was different.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner told he made a ‘huge error’ in the first set against Carlos Alcaraz which ended up hurting him badly in the Italian Open final

“I just thought that I had to enjoy this moment and enjoy playing a final, just to appreciate I made the final and from that try and play good tennis and enjoy. That helped me a lot to stay calm before the match.

“I started the match really well, so did he, it was going to be a battle and be really tough. I am really happy with the way I approached the match today.”

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head record after Italian Open final

Alcaraz and Sinner have been dominating the ATP Tour in recent times, superbly taking over the baton from the Big Three.

Novak Djokovic is, of course, still looking to add more trophies to his cabinet, but his fellow legends Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have both retired.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz says it’s ‘crazy’ what Novak Djokovic is doing as he predicts if he will play at the next Olympic Games

The Serbian meanwhile has been nowhere near his levels of old, with Djokovic having skipped the Italian Open this time around.

But Alcaraz and Sinner are quickly becoming the players that fans love to watch, with the Spaniard taking the latest bragging rights.

And he has the bragging rights overall in the ongoing battle between the pair, now boasting seven wins compared to Sinner’s four.

But it is an exciting rivalry that is certain to take many more twists and turns over the coming years, potentially as soon as the upcoming French Open.