Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have carved out a thrilling rivalry during their brief stints on the ATP Tour.
They may not be ranked number one and two in the world, but it’s tough to argue against Alcaraz and Sinner being the best players in men’s tennis.
Alcaraz and Sinner shared the four Major titles available last year, as they continued to grow their reputations on the ATP Tour.
Sinner won the US Open in September, having won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne earlier in the year.
Similarly, Alcaraz won his second consecutive Wimbledon crown, after claiming victory at Roland Garros in June.
Away from the four Grand Slams it was the Italian who dominated the tour, as Sinner won three Masters 1000 titles, two ATP 500 titles, the ATP Finals, the Davis Cup finals, and reached world number one.
The Spaniard has now explained how he used Sinners’ 2024 successes to his advantage.
Carlos Alcaraz says seeing Jannik Sinner win on the ATP Tour motivates him to practice ‘even harder’
In his pre-tournament press conference, Alcaraz was asked about his rivalry with Sinner, and he revealed his attitude towards the Italian’s recent success.
“The good thing for me is that when I am seeing him winning titles, or seeing him at the top of the ranking, it pushes me to practice even harder ever day,” he said.
“In the practice, I am thinking of the things I have to improve just to play against him.
“That’s great for me, having him, and it’s a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day.”
Alcaraz then went on to describe how he adopts a different mindset for his matches against the world number one.
“When I am playing against him I have a different mindset, or a little bit,” he said.
“When you are facing the best players in the world, you have to do something different.
“Different preparation or mindset or whatever, so when I am facing him I know I have to play my best if I want to win.
“If I have a bad day against Jannik, it’s 99% that you are going to lose, so that’s what is in my mind every time I am going to play against him.”
Did Carlos Alcaraz take control of his rivalry with Jannik Sinner in 2024?
Lucky for Alcaraz, he didn’t have a ‘bad day’ against Sinner in 2024, as he went undefeated in his three matches against the Italian.
Sinner finished the year with a mightily impressive 73-6 record on the ATP Tour, only really struggling against one man.
Three of Sinner’s six defeats came against Alcaraz, as the Spaniard turned their head-to-head around, from trailing 4-3 to leading 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 (2024 Indian Wells SF)
Having lost their previous two meetings, things got off to the worst possible start for Alcaraz in this year’s Indian Wells semi-final as he lost the first set to Sinner 6-1.
He battled back strongly, however, taking the next two sets 6-3, 6-2, to secure his place in the Indian Wells final for the second year running.
Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev to win Indian Wells, as he claimed a fifth Masters 1000 title, having taken down Sinner along the way.
Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 (2024 French Open SF)
When Alcaraz and Sinner play each other at a Grand Slam, fireworks are pretty much guaranteed.
Their meeting at the 2022 US Open was an instant classic, and this year’s installment was just as thrilling.
Twice Alcaraz trailed by a set in the match, as the pair battled it out on Philippe Chatrier before he turned things up a gear during the latter stages.
Alcaraz won the fourth and fifth sets, as he booked his place in the French Open final, where he took home a maiden title in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 (2024 Beijing F)
Sinner had won the only previous meeting between the two in a final, when he came out on top in the Umag ATP 250 event back in 2022.
This time at the ATP 500 level, Sinner was the favorite in Beijing, having won the US Open on hard courts earlier the same month.
In one of the matches of the year, Alcaraz took down Sinner to win the Beijing title in three sets, as he claimed his third victory over the Italian in a row.
Alcaraz and Sinner could potentially face off in the 2025 Australian Open final, having been placed on opposite sides of the draw, but will be cautious of getting too far ahead of themselves.
Sinner plays Nicolas Jarry in the first round on Monday, January 12, before Alcaraz plays Alexander Shevchenko.
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