Alcaraz and Sinner anticipate years of competition: “Hopefully, this rivalry will last as long as possible"

Jannik Sinner spoke about his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz after defeating him in the final of the Six Kings Slam. The world No. 1 came back from a set down to claim the exhibition tournament trophy and the largest prize money in history, exceeding 6 million dollars.

The Italian has had an extraordinary year, although Alcaraz has been the only player who has really posed challenges for him this year, winning all three official matches against him. However, although it was not in an official tournament, Sinner finally achieved his first victory over Alcaraz in 2024.

During the awards ceremony, Sinner was asked about his rivalry with the Spaniard: “It’s a mix of everything. As Carlos said, we try to push ourselves to the limit. I wake up in the morning trying to understand the ways to beat him,” the Italian said.

“These kinds of rivalries and players push us to our 100% limit. I’m happy about this today. But the reason we came here was to show all of you what tennis is about. It can be long sometimes, like today. But we just try our best. Hopefully, you enjoyed the show.”

The presenter then asked Sinner if he considers Alcaraz his biggest rival over the next few years: “We understand each other. We travel a lot. I would say we are good friends. Not the best out of the best. But we like to share every time we go on court. We try to enjoy. Every match has been very, very good. Hopefully, this rivalry will last as long as possible. But there are so many other players who can jump in. Let’s see what’s coming in the future.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion also showered his rival with praise. After a narrow defeat, Alcaraz was in great spirits during the awards ceremony and is already speculating about the future of their rivalry. The presenter asked the Spaniard how he sees the rivalry developing and he assured that it will be “an interesting 10 years,” to which Alcaraz agreed. “Well, I hope so. I will practice and try as hard as I can. I’m sure Jannik is going to be there.”

“I’ll try to do my best every day during these years. Hopefully, it makes this rivalry better and better over the years,” the world No. 2 added. “I want to say I’m grateful to have him around on tour. Thanks to him, I push myself to the limit. I give my 100% every day to be a better player. It’s a pleasure every time I share the court with him. Sometimes it’s tough to find the joy. But it’s great every time I face him.”