"It was nice having both teams on the same plane" - Alcaraz and Sinner travel to Melbourne together ahead of restarting gripping rivalry at Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both set their sights firmly on the Australian Open title. With the rivalry as tight and intriguing as its ever been, it may come to a surprise to some to find out that they travelled to Melbourne in the same plane.

Prior to making the trip to Australia, the world number one and two were facing off for what is suspected to be the first of many high calibre meetings this year. Except this would probably be the least important of the bunch as it was an exhibition clash called the Hyundai Card Super Match in Incheon, South Korea.

While the majority of ATP players were competing at a vast array of events stretching through Australia and Hong Kong, Alcaraz and Sinner chose a different approach. They opted to head to South Korea for a clash against one another with that being the start of their preparation for the Australian Open.

It was a very lucrative event for both, with each walking away with a staggering £1.7 million just for turning up. While Alcaraz won the tussle 7-5, 7-6(6), it was a good chance for both players get back up to speed on the court. Sinner's last appearance was in the ATP Finals while Alcaraz was participating in a brace of exhibition clashes in the USA.

The pair get along very well off the court, regularly being seen together having a chat or a laugh or even practicing and rallying together. Once on court, it is business, but they can stand to be in each other's company. This made travelling to Australia a lot more straightforward, with the pair hopping onto the same plane.

"It’s always a pleasure. It’s where the season starts, so I’m really excited about it. I really needed to play some matches already. It’s cool to be back here," Alcaraz said, before Sinner followed up by commenting: "Yeah, it’s great to be back. We were both sleeping quite a lot. We didn’t chat so much. It was nice having both teams on the same plane."

The rivalry between the pair has catapulted them beyond the level of any ATP player, and then some. They both sit with a huge points gap in the rankings ahead of Alexander Zverev in third and will be hoping to extend that come the major event in Melbourne.

They both have had some great matchups on court, with the tennis being played between them off the Richter scale. They faced off in three Grand Slam finals in a row, with the contest at Roland Garros entertaining tennis fans around the world for a stunning five and a half hours, with Alcaraz completing an incredible comeback.

The Spaniard goes on to say how much the pair of them improve each other. "We push each other to be better. That’s what I take from this rivalry," he said. "Everybody needs someone who pushes you to give 100 per cent, and that’s what we’re doing every time."

As good as they are and dominant against most other players on the ATP Tour, they need to be at their highest concentration levels against each other with the tennis usually relentless and world class. It is a real eye-opener for both players, with them constantly learning and moulding their game as they both look to get an advantage over the other.

"I believe everyone is different in their own way," Sinner stated. "It’s good for the sport to have different personalities and different game styles. It’s great to share the court with him. I see a completely different point of view on how to approach certain points. It’s great."