Jannik Sinner is 0-3 against Carlos Alcaraz so far this season after losing a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) thriller in the China Open final on Wednesday night. Sinner also fell to Alcaraz in three sets at the Indian Wells Masters and in five sets at the French Open–both in semifinal showdowns.
The top-ranked Italian reflected on the current best rivalry in tennis during his pre-tournament press conference at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Friday.
“I feel like–at least talking from my side–he pushes me to do better,” Sinner said of Alcaraz. “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. I feel like off the court we are quite similar because we are surround ourself with our close ones, we like to stay with the team. There are many, many similar things. On the court, we are different. 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.”
Despite his three-match losing streak to his friendly rival, it’s not like hope is lost for Sinner. After all, he is the current world No. 1 and shared the four Grand Slam titles this season with Alcaraz at two apiece. The overall head-to-head series stands at a more competitive 6-4 in the Spaniard’s favor.
They could face each other again in the Shanghai semis.
