"Today I changed my opinion": Daniil Medvedev weighs in on the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry

Daniil Medvedev praised Jannik Sinner and offered his perspective on the rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz. The Russian endured a harsh defeat at the Six Kings Slam, losing 0-6, 3-6 to the Italian, who has won 7 of their last 8 encounters at ATP level.

Since Sinner's resurgence in 2023, he has levelled his head-to-head record against Medvedev from 0-6 to 7-7, including a victory in the Australian Open final earlier this year. Medvedev has only once experienced a similarly one-sided loss to Sinner (1-6, 2-6 in the Miami Open semi-finals), yet he considered this recent match as the best performance he has witnessed from the world No. 1.

The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz has intensified in recent years, with many seeing them as the potential successors to the Big-3, poised to dominate the Tour for years to come. The 21-year-old Spaniard already boasts 4 Grand Slam titles, while the 23-year-old Sinner has closed the gap with his two titles at the Australian Open and US Open this year.

The comparisons and rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz have been a hot topic of discussion for the past two years and show no signs of waning. Medvedev shared how his recent match against the world No. 1 changed his view: "I usually think of Jannik Sinner as a bit more consistent, more like a machine, while Carlos Alcaraz is a bit more, you know, swinging with some classy shots."

"But when Carlos is at the top of his game, I consider him slightly better. But we're talking about peak performance. Today I changed my opinion," he added. "I've never played against someone who performed like Jannik Sinner today. It was a tough feeling on the court."

According to Medvedev, his level of play was not as poor as the score suggests, and it was Sinner's exceptional performance that led to the convincing defeat despite Medvedev’s confidence in his own game: "I was feeling good, I was fighting well, physically I felt good. My tennis wasn't that bad, and I lost easily, which I don't remember the last time this happened. That's how it went."