"Probably he's more of a hard worker": Carlos Alcaraz embraces Messi–Ronaldo parallel before facing Sinner again

Carlos Alcaraz referred to his rivalry with Jannik Sinner after an Italian journalist compared their rivalry to that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football. The world No. 1 and No. 2 are preparing to face each other in another final this Saturday—albeit an exhibition—at the Six Kings Slam.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner have taken absolute command of the tennis world, alternating the last eight Grand Slam titles between them and even playing the last three Major finals against each other. Both also have a wide advantage in the ATP Ranking and the Race, and are guaranteed to finish the year as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Amidst the Six Kings Slam, Alcaraz responded to an Italian journalist who compared the rivalries of the two current best tennis players with the two footballers who dominated football for two decades. The journalist specifically mentioned the contrast between Messi's "pure talent" and Cristiano Ronaldo's "work and discipline."

"Probably, it could be like that. But it’s a great comparison,” Alcaraz commented with a smile during a press conference from Riyadh. “I mean, I'm just really happy that I have comparisons like that in the tennis side.”

“But yeah, probably he's more of a hard worker and I have more talent, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have talent or that I don't, you know, work hard. So it’s a mix of both, but I think it’s a good one."

Alcaraz and Sinner will face off in the Six Kings Slam final this Saturday—just like in 2024—with a multi-million dollar prize at stake. Each tournament participant arrived with a guaranteed $1.5 million participation fee, while the tournament champion will add another $4.5 million—totaling $6 million, the largest prize in the tennis world.

Back in 2024, Alcaraz defeated Holger Rune and Rafael Nadal on his way to the final, while Sinner dispatched Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic. In the title match, Alcaraz took the advantage in the first set in a tight tie-break, but Sinner ultimately turned the match around and took the victory 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3.

This time, Alcaraz had a shorter path in the tournament, starting as a seeded player with his place assured in the semifinals. The world No. 1 defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets in his debut to secure his spot in the final. On the other side, Sinner had to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals and then Novak Djokovic in the semifinals—overcoming both in straight sets to reach the tournament final.

For the second consecutive year, Sinner and Alcaraz will challenge each other for the millionaire prize of the Six Kings Slam. The rivalry is currently led comfortably by Alcaraz with a 10-5 record in official matches, having also beaten Sinner in 7 of their last 8 encounters.

Their rivalry has grown over the last couple of years, facing each other in as many as six consecutive finals in official matches—starting with the 2024 Beijing Open. This year, Alcaraz has won four of those finals, the last of them at the US Open, while Sinner only won the Wimbledon final.

The duel between Alcaraz and Sinner will take place on Saturday, as tournament rules prevent players from playing matches on three consecutive days, and Sinner had already secured victories on Wednesday and Thursday. Once the tournament concludes, both will travel back to Europe, where Sinner will play the ATP 500 Vienna Open, while Alcaraz will wait another week for the start of the Paris Masters.