“Probably a little bit more nerves”: Alcaraz admits feeling more nervous facing Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz previewed the match against Jannik Sinner at the French Open and commented that he feels more nervous facing the Italian than other rivals. The Spaniard comfortably defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the quarterfinals and is preparing for his 9th encounter, with a head-to-head record of 4-4 so far.

The 22-year-old Italian arrives with great confidence, having recently secured the World No. 1 spot (after Djokovic's withdrawal) and comes after defeating the 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov in three sets. Sinner has barely lost a set throughout the tournament and is entering the semifinals of Roland Garros for the first time in his career.

The Spanish World No. 3 won their last encounter back in the Indian Wells semifinals, where Alcaraz made a comeback to defeat Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 and advance to the final, where he subsequently won his second consecutive title in the Tennis Garden.

Three years ago, they faced each other for the first time in the third round of the 2021 Paris Masters with Alcaraz winning. Since then, a 4-4 head-to-head record predicts it as one of the great rivalries of the coming years. So far, there has only been one Grand Slam match, when Alcaraz claimed victory in an epic quarterfinal clash at the 2022 US Open, where the Spaniard then won his first Grand Slam title.

Regarding the rivalry between the two young players, Alcaraz was asked if he feels different when facing Sinner: “The tennis world gets so excited before you play Jannik in these matches. Do you feel any different in the days leading up to these matches, and do you feel any different when you step out on court to play against Jannik?” some journalist asked.

“Well, probably a little bit more nerves before facing him. I'm not going to lie,” the World No. 3 stated. “I mean, he probably is one of the most difficult challenges that we can face in tennis right now. I think he's the best player in the world. I think, no, he is No. 1 right now, so (laughing)... It's going to be an interesting one.”

Alcaraz mentioned that matches against Sinner are always special, as fans look forward to their encounters: “As I said, the matches that we've played before have been unbelievable games. I think everybody wants to watch this match. When the draw came out, I think everybody wanted Jannik on my side playing the semifinal. Let's see how it's going to be, but I think it's going to be great for tennis and for the fans.”