“Best rivalry at the moment”: Jannik Sinner applauds Alcaraz vs Djokovic clash

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 at 21:30

Jannik Sinner spoke about the ‘best rivalry at the moment’ between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The World No. 1 secured another impressive victory in the Australian Open quarterfinals against Alex de Minaur, guaranteeing his spot in the semifinals.

As the first seed, Sinner benefited from a favourable draw that allowed him to avoid an early clash with his biggest threats on paper, with Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev all landing in the bottom half of the draw.

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Djokovic’s No. 7 ranking left him exposed to an early encounter with Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. With seven prior meetings, this was the first time they faced off so early in a tournament (previously three semifinals and four finals). Djokovic’s victory further extended his head-to-head lead to 5-3 (2-2 in Grand Slams).

After Sinner claimed another commanding win over De Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, improving his head-to-head record to 10-0, he was asked if he had watched the Alcaraz-Djokovic match the previous night. “Yes, I watched until the end because I knew I could sleep long (laughs),” Sinner said during his on-court interview. “It was an amazing match. These kinds of matchups are tough to see, you know, in quarterfinals. This could be, you know, finals, semifinals.”

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“So, you know, I think we all want these kinds of rivalries. Obviously, I think Carlos and Novak, this is at the moment the best rivalry we have in tennis. This was an amazing matchup, some amazing rallies, and this is exactly why we also need an amazing crowd making everything special.”

“So let’s see what’s coming this season. New players are emerging, young players are stepping up, so hopefully, we’ll see some great rivalries,” he added.

Sinner has now stretched his winning streak at the Australian Open to 12 consecutive victories, remaining a strong contender for the title. He will face 21st seed Ben Shelton for a spot in the final, while Djokovic and Zverev will determine the other finalist.