“When I’m seeing him in the top, it forces me to practice even harder”: Carlos Alcaraz draws motivation from Jannik Sinner’s success

Carlos Alcaraz spoke about the change in mentality he has when facing Jannik Sinner and acknowledged that he draws motivation from seeing his great rival win titles consistently. The Spaniard hopes to surprise World No. 1 Sinner at the Australian Open and complete his Career Grand Slam.

In 2024, both players shared the four Grand Slams, with Sinner dominating on hardcourts – winning the Australian Open and US Open, while Alcaraz claimed the titles at Roland Garros (clay) and Wimbledon (grass).

Alcaraz reflects on his rivalry with Sinner

Currently, the Spaniard leads their head-to-head 6-4, with the added detail that Alcaraz triumphed in all three of their meetings in 2024 while Sinner held the top spot in the rankings. Alcaraz won in the Indian Wells semifinals (1-6, 6-3, 6-2), the Roland Garros semifinals (2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3), and the China Open final (6-7, 6-4, 7-6).

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In a press conference, Alcaraz was asked how his approach changes when facing Jannik Sinner. “When you are facing the best player in the world, you have to do something different. When I’m facing him, I know that I have to play my best if I want to win. That’s it,” said Alcaraz. “If I have a bad day against Jannik, it’s 99 percent that you are going to lose. That’s what is in my mind every time I’m going to play against him.”

“When I see him win titles, when I see him at the top of the rankings, it forces me to practice even harder every day. In practice, I’m just thinking about the things I have to improve to play against him,” the 4-time Grand Slam champion added. “That’s great for me, having him, having such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day.”

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The Spaniard will debut on Monday night against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, with whom he has one previous encounter in the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open (Alcaraz won 6-2, 6-1).

This will be the 21-year-old's first official match of the season, and he will be the heavy favorite against Shevchenko. In a press conference, Alcaraz was asked about what brings him more satisfaction on the court: hitting a perfect shot or winning a close match.

“When you feel like you can’t miss,” the Spaniard said, smiling. “You hit great shots, running forehands, drop shots, volleys, serve and volley, everything that you want to do, you feel like it’s going to be right, that’s the most satisfaction I feel on the court.”

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