Jannik Sinner speaks about his riveting rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz

Tennis stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been touted as the future of men's tennis, with both players primed to lead the next generation in the post-Big 3 era. Sinner recently spoke about his mindset when facing his Spanish rival, highlighting the importance of having a challenging rival.

Alcaraz overcame Sinner in the Roland Garros semifinals on Friday, requiring five sets to reach get past the Italian. In addition to ending Sinner's undefeated Grand Slam streak this season, the Wimbledon champion also improved to 5-4 in career meetings against Alcaraz.

During his post-match conference, Sinner was asked if he considered Alcaraz to be his biggest rival at this point in his career.

"You have played Carlos nine times now I think in professional ranks, and he's got five; you've got four," asked a journalist. "Do you see this being the defining rivalry of your career, given you're both still quite young and likely to play a lot of matches against each other?”

“Well, you cannot compare us yet with the other players we had or still have," replied the New World No.1. "But for sure, I mean, if we watch the results, you know, we always are most likely to play in the semis or final or quarters. Very important matches.
"I think that's exciting for the game, especially when head-to-head is quite close. And, you know, the winner is happy and then the loser tries to find a way to beat him the next time, no? I think that's exciting. That's what I will try to do."