Some of the toughest and most grueling battles of Carlos Alcaraz's career so far have been against Jannik Sinner, but the 21-year-old admits he is grateful to have the Italian in the sport.
Alcaraz and Sinner played for the 11th time in the final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, although the ATP will not officially count their meeting in the Middle East in their head-to-head.
After another entertaining battle between the two young stars, Sinner prevailed 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Six Kings Slam, receiving the largest paycheck in tennis history in the process.
The pair's rivalry becomes more epic with each match. They first met nearly three years ago at the Paris Masters. Alcaraz won that match in straight sets, but there have been several tight battles between them since.
Sinner prevailed in the pair's first final at the Croatia Open and their maiden Grand Slam meeting at Wimbledon. However, Alcaraz hit back by defeating Sinner in one of the greatest US Open matches ever on his way to the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022.
Their three previous contests in 2024 before the Six Kings Slam at the Indian Wells Open, French Open, and China Open were also terrific viewing. Each match went to a deciding set, but Alcaraz triumphed each time.
Sinner and Alcaraz's rivalry is also notable for its lack of animosity. That stands in stark contrast to other rivalries in the sport's history, such as Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi and the early matches between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
For example, Alcaraz called Sinner the best player in the world before their Six Kings Slam meeting, and both men have spoken about how hard they have to push themselves during their matches.
The Spaniard went further when discussing his rivalry with Sinner after being beaten by the world No. 1 in Saudi Arabia in the final match, with the winner taking home $6 million. He said he was grateful to have this year's Australian Open and US Open champion in the sport.
"I want to say I’m grateful to have him around on tour. Thanks to him I push myself to the limit. I give my 100% every day to be a better player. It’s a pleasure every time I share the court with him. Sometimes it’s tough to find the joy. But it’s great every time I face him.”"
When the interviewer said the next decade would likely be interesting because of Sinner and Alcaraz's rivalry, the 21-year-old answered that he hoped that would be the case and vowed to keep practicing hard to make the rivalry even better.
"Well I hope so. I will practice and try as hard as I can. I’m sure Jannik is gonna be there. I’ll try to do my best every day during the years. Hopefully it makes this rivalry better and better over the years."
Alcaraz and Sinner have been the outstanding ATP players of 2024, splitting the four Grand Slams. Their contemporaries have the challenging task of trying to end that recent dominance.
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