Carlos Alcaraz talks honestly about his ‘complicated’ friendship with Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are currently the top two tennis players in the world, according to the ATP rankings. They’ve had an exciting rivalry over the past few seasons, and recently, Alcaraz shared some thoughts about their special connection.
These young stars have shared the last nine Grand Slam titles between them, showing a friendly but fierce competition. However, they haven’t faced each other in a major final for over a year—that last time, Alcaraz came out on top.
Tennis fans will be sad to hear that Alcaraz won’t be playing at Roland Garros this year because of a wrist injury, so the two won’t get to compete there. Even though they’ve played nine finals against each other so far, they’re actually good friends. That kind of friendship is pretty refreshing, especially when compared to past rivalries like Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, who didn’t always get along as well.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Alcaraz talked about his relationship with Sinner. He said, “We show the world that we can compete hard on the court and try to beat each other, but off the court, we just get along really well. We help each other play our best. We’re fighting for the same goal, but there’s no need to hate each other because we want the same thing.”
He added that it’s tough to have a close friendship while competing at this level, but their rivalry is different from the famous ones in tennis history because they both have many years ahead of them. He hopes they’ll keep playing against each other in many finals and share the biggest titles.
For now, Alcaraz can take a break and support Sinner as he tries to win the French Open later this month.