Jannik Sinner won the latest instalment of his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, winning 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Six Kings Slam.
Sinner wins the $6 million first prize, with Alcaraz taking home a pretty sizeable sum merely for participating in the tournament.
Alcaraz sent Sinner a message after the final was completed, and it would appear as though there is some mutual respect between the two.
Tim Henman has been impressed with Sinner during the Six Kings Slam and during the final, he once again praised the world number two.
Tim Henman noticed one big change in Jannik Sinner at the Six Kings Slam
The tournament in Saudi Arabia featured six top stars and is growing as an event, with the players viewing it as a little bit more than just any other exhibition, given the prize money on offer.
Alcaraz spoke about breaking records before the final at the Six Kings Slam and he will need to go back to the drawing board as he looks towards his next meeting with Sinner.
Henman was impressed with Sinner more, however, and conceded that he’s noticed something that the Italian has been working on since losing the US Open final.
He said on Netflix: “He has talked about this after the US Open, but to come out against his greatest rival and really look to use that tactic, because he wasn’t only using it when up a double break and when he had confidence and belief.
“That break point at 3-3 in the second set when he took the second serve return down the line, he followed it in, Alcaraz used his foot speed to respond with a very clever forehand, and that was one of the most important points of the second set, and it went Sinner’s way when he was at the net.”
What Laura Robson said about Jannik Sinner
Robson was also working as a pundit for Netflix on the Six Kings Slam and she was also blown away by Sinner’s dominance over Alcaraz.
She said: “It was a great day at the office for Team Sinner. He barely put a foot wrong. There was only a handful of unforced errors for Alcaraz to work with and it felt like he had to work so hard to win points on his own serve, which at the US Open was a totally different story.
“So very different match up, but I love the rivalry gets closer every time they play. We want them to put each other down and every time that you think someone has the advantage, it goes the opposite way. I think we were treated to an epic performance from the Italian today.”
Sinner and Alcaraz will now both be working their way towards the ATP Finals, which take place later this year, with another meeting between the two players very likely.
As the two top seeds, each will be placed in a different group for the round robin stage, with the hope among tennis fans that the pair can once again meet in another final.
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