Jannik Sinner said he “wakes up in the morning trying to understand how to beat” Carlos Alcaraz after claiming the Six Kings Slam following another enthralling instalment of their rivalry.
Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated men’s tennis this year, splitting the four Grand Slam titles between them and winning a combined 11 ATP Tour titles.
The Italian explained how his bouts with Alcaraz are helping get the best out of both of them.
“We try to push ourselves to the limit,” Sinner said.
“I wake up in the morning trying to understand how to beat him. These kinds of rivalries and players always push us to our 100% limit. I’m very happy about this today.”
“We understand each other very well. We travel a lot, we are I would say good friends, not obviously the best of the best,” he added.
“We also like to share every time we go on the court, we try to enjoy it. Until now every match was very good level-wise.
“Hopefully this rivalry will last as long as possible, but there are so many other great players who can jump in, which is so exciting. Let’s see what is coming in the future, nobody can tell.”
Sinner is aged 23 and Alcaraz 21, so the sport promises to be dominated by the pair for many years to come.
Their burgeoning competition comes at a good time as the era of the ‘Big Three’ comes to an end, with the retiring Rafael Nadal losing to Novak Djokovic in the third-place match in what will be their final meeting of an 18-year long rivalry.
The defeated Alcaraz was asked about an exciting 10 years of battles with Sinner that could lie ahead.
“I hope so. I will practice and try as hard as I can to be there. I’m pretty sure he is going to be there,” Alcaraz said.
“I will try to do my best and hopefully this rivalry gets better and better over the years.
“I’m really grateful to have him around on the Tour. As I said many times, thanks to him I push myself to the limit to improve and be a better player.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/10/13/4051138-82160413-2560-1440.jpg "'I wake up trying to understand how to beat him' - Jannik Sinner says Carlos Alcaraz rivalry 'pushes us to the limit' 1")
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“It has been a pleasure every time I step on court with him. Sometimes it’s tough to find the joy, but it’s great every time I face him.”
The final ATP 1000 event of the season takes place at the Paris Masters starting on October 28, before the 2024 season wraps up with the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals in November.