Jannik Sinner made some interesting remarks about his relationship and rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz after beating him at the Six Kings Slam.
Sinner and Alcaraz had played three times this season before their most recent meeting. The Spaniard won all those matches, triumphing at the Indian Wells Open and French Open before outlasting Sinner at the China Open.
The Italian was looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat to the four-time Grand Slam champion in the final of the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition event that was held in Saudi Arabia from October 16th to 19th.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune were the other players involved in the high-profile exhibition that was probably the penultimate tournament of Nadal's career.
On Saturday, fans were treated to one final installment of Djokovic and Nadal's epic rivalry. The Serbian won the match to secure third place at the event and paid an emotional tribute to the 14-time French Open champion afterward.
That contest was followed by the final between Sinner and Alcaraz. It seemed like the world No. 1 was heading for a fourth consecutive defeat to the 21-year-old after losing the first set on a tiebreak.
However, Sinner responded impressively to overcome Alcaraz 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, and secure an extraordinary paycheck of $6 million, the largest sum awarded to a player in tennis history.
It was another excellent match between the pair, who are quickly developing an outstanding rivalry. Despite that, Nadal has cautioned against comparing Sinner and Alcaraz to him, Djokovic, and Roger Federer.
Unlike many rivalries, Sinner and Alcaraz share a good relationship off the court without any resentment on either side. The Italian spoke about that and their rivalry after the Six Kings Slam.
"We understand each other. We travel a lot. I would say we are good friends. Not the best out of the best. But we like to share every time when we go on court. We try to enjoy.L
"Every match has been very very good. Hopefully this rivalry will last as long as possible. But there are so many other players who can jump in. Let’s see what’s coming in the future."
Sinner also discussed how he and Alcaraz push each other to their limits and admits he spends much time trying to figure out and understand how to defeat the Spaniard.
"It’s a mix of everything. As Carlos said, we try to push ourselves to the limit. I wake up in the morning trying to understand the ways to beat him. These kind of rivalries and players push us to our 100% limit."
"I’m happy about this today. But the reason we came here was to show all of you what tennis is about. It can be long sometimes, like today. But we just try our best. Hopefully you enjoyed the show."
Sinner being just 23 and Alcaraz 21 means there will undoubtedly be several more memorable battles between the pair over the coming years, which is an exciting prospect for tennis fans worldwide.