Jannik Sinner shares what his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz now makes him do

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Jannik Sinner’s 2024 season has been nothing short of spectacular but there is one blemish on his record and it concerns Carlos Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old broke through at the top level by winning the Australian Open and US Open, and he also became the World number one.

The Italian has claimed 59 match wins and lost just six, but half of those defeats have come against one person.

Sinner and Alcaraz have contested three matches in 2024 so far, and the Spaniard has prevailed on each occasion.

What impact has Carlos Alcaraz had on Jannik Sinner?

Sinner and Alcaraz are establishing a special rivalry in tennis, which not many expected so soon after the rivalries between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Before their 2024 contests, Sinner led his head-to-head with Alcaraz 4-3, but after 10 battles he is now trailing 4-6.

Alcaraz won their most recent encounter in Wednesday’s China Open final 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) in over three hours of pulsating play.

Now in Shanghai, Sinner is focused on trying to win his seventh title of the season, but he also has his rival in mind. “I feel like — at least talking from my side — he pushes me to do better,” the World number one told ATP Media.

“I wake up in the morning trying to understand what I can do better trying to beat him next time, which is something nice for me as a player. It’s nice that we are rivals on the court and then friends off the court.”

How did Jannik Sinner describe his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz?

Before facing Japan’s Taro Daniel in his first match at the Shanghai Masters, Sinner opened up on the dynamics of his rivalry with Alcaraz. One of tennis’ most enthralling rivalries is Bjorn Borg’s rivalry with John McEnroe from 1978 to 1981.

The Swede loved playing from the baseline, was always cool and collected and rarely showed any emotion on court, while McEnroe often approached the net, was more fiery and expressive with how he was feeling on court.

The dynamics are similar in the Sinner’s rivalry with Alcaraz, as he alluded to during his interview. “I feel like off the court we are quite similar because we surround ourselves with our close ones, we like to stay with the team. There are many, many similar things. On the court, we are different,” Sinner said.

“He is the one who brings the firepower, the hot shots, he involves the crowd. He’s a bit different. I am more like the solid player, quite calm, so it’s like fire and ice a bit. But it’s a nice combination.

“It also shows that everyone is different. I believe that I have to take something from him as a player, trying some different shots sometimes, which I feel like makes me grow as a player.”