Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have yet to play each other in a professional match so far in 2026.
Sinner made tennis history after winning Indian Wells, but he did not have to beat Alcaraz in the final.
That was because Alcaraz was beaten by Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, bringing an end to his 16-match winning streak.
Although they have not played each other yet in 2026, Alcaraz and Sinner continue to dominate the ATP Tour, and Darren Cahill has revealed what he thinks about their rivalry.
Darren Cahill claims that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner need more rivals
Prior to the Indian Wells final taking place, Sinner’s coach Cahill spoke to Sky Sports, where he was asked about his player’s rivalry with Alcaraz, which has seen them win the last nine consecutive Grand Slam titles.
Who is the better hard court player – Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?
While Cahill praised their rivalry as good for tennis, he claimed that the ATP Tour needs more players to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner in the future.
“I think the rivalry has been good for everyone, especially as we have had the golden generation and Novak is still doing amazing things and Roger and Rafa and Andy no longer playing the game, to have two players step up and try to fill some of the size of the shoes they have left has been amazing for everybody,” said Cahill.
“The interest is there, the rivalry is great. Carlos being number one and Jannik number two at the minute gives Jannik something to chase and so far he is doing a good job.
“I think the rivalry is something tennis needs. We need rivalries and in fact we need two or three more players to come through and create four or five players at the top of the game that week in and week out we see amazing tennis, and we see great tennis at the moment.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have already won three titles so far in 2026, with the Spaniard beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final and Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final, while the latter beat Medvedev at Indian Wells.
Who will join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in a new ‘big three’?
Carlos Alcaraz could stop Jannik Sinner from making history at the Miami Open
Alcaraz will look to bounce back from his defeat to Medvedev at the Miami Open, where he won the title in 2022.
Not only will Alcaraz be looking to win the title for himself, but he could also prevent Sinner from making history.
Sinner now has the opportunity to become the eighth man to complete the sunshine double, which is when a player wins Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back.
Other players to achieve this include Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Djokovic, with the latter completing the sunshine double a record four times.
| ATP Player who has completed the Sunshine Double | Year they have completed the Sunshine Double |
| Jim Courier | 1991 |
| Michael Chang | 1992 |
| Pete Sampras | 1994 |
| Marcelo Rios | 1998 |
| Andre Agassi | 2001 |
| Roger Federer | 2005, 2006 & 2017 |
| Novak Djokovic | 2011, 2014, 2015 & 2016 |
Alcaraz is also yet to complete the sunshine double, and he could stop Sinner from getting there first if they both reach the final.
The men’s singles draw at the Miami Open gets underway on Wednesday, March 18, but Sinner and Alcaraz will not begin until at least Friday as seeded players.
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