The budding and already storied rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the past few years has been exciting for longtime and new tennis fans across the world. It’s always thrilling to watch the No. 1 and 2 players compete for a title almost every time they perform.
This rivalry is what men’s tennis needed after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both retired from the sport. There was always chatter that there would be a lull period of waiting to find the next big things, but Alcaraz and Sinner quickly stepped into the spotlight and have dominated since. Nadal already called Alcaraz a “legend” before he even turned 23 last week.
There’s of course been a lot of comparison between the Alcaraz–Sinner rivalry and other famous rivalries in men’s tennis (Federer and Nadal being one of those). I spoke with former tennis player Sam Querrey and longtime coach Brad Gilbert just a couple months ago and they emphasized how Alcaraz and Sinner created a much wider gap separating them from the rest of the field than the Big Three (including Novak Djokovic) did.
However, Alcaraz doesn’t necessarily agree with this sentiment. He spoke with Vanity Fair for a cover story, which was released on Tuesday, and spoke quite a bit on his rivalry with Sinner. He doesn’t think their somewhat fresh rivalry can be compared to the greats yet. The seven-time major winner said that rivalries are “long processes.”
“It’s not comparable to the historic rivalries that have happened in tennis, because we both have so many years ahead,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully, we will continue playing against each other many times, at many finals, and that we will split the greatest tournaments.”
This is a smart take from Alcaraz. It’s hard to compare this rivalry between him and Sinner until both of their careers are over and fans can reflect on the greatness that was played on the court when these two icons faced each other.
Alcaraz also noted in his interview with Vanity Fair how he and Sinner are able to keep a cordial relationship off the court, too. It’s nice to see a rivalry in which the players don’t absolutely hate one another (unlike Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe).
“We’re showing the world that we can be on court and give our best, and try to do the most possible damage to the other while playing, try to beat each other, and then, off court, just be two guys who get along really well,” Alcaraz said. “We help each other give our best. ... We are fighting for the same goal, but there’s no need to hate each other because we want the same thing. When you are competing at this level, having a close friendship is complicated. It can be done. I’m all for it.”
Unfortunately fans won’t be witnessing a repeat of last year’s iconic French Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner (deemed the best match of the year, and in recent memory) since Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament because of injury. But, there’s no doubt these two will face one another at least a couple more times this season when the Spaniard returns to the court.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Carlos Alcaraz Doesn’t Want His Rivalry With Jannik Sinner Compared to Greats in Tennis.
