Carlos Alcaraz Convinced Jannik Sinner Will be ‘Very Dangerous’ Rival at Roland Garros as he Lauds Italian’s Level After Doping Ban
Carlos Alcaraz captured his seventh Masters 1000 title defeating Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/We Are Tennis)
Carlos Alcaraz is proud to maintain his level throughout his Italian Open final. He did not let his concentration waver, for he was playing against his biggest opponent- Jannik Sinner, whom he defeated with a 7-5(5), 6-1 scoreline.
After some rest and recovery, the two young rivals will be gearing up for the second Major of the season, the French Open. Sinner produced his best when he reached the last four in 2024, and it was Alcaraz who ended his run after a five-set thriller.
Alcaraz later played another five-setter, this time in the final against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, winning his first Roland Garros trophy. Sinner’s performance in Rome greatly impressed the Spaniard who thinks the home favorite played an “insane” level of tennis after three months’ absence and is convinced that Sinner has a shot at the French Open. Alcaraz said at the press conference:
I’m sure he will improve even more. He will get better this week of training. He will feel better if he wins Roland Garros or reaches far. He will be dangerous, a very dangerous rival in Paris. We will be in different parts of the draw, so we’ll see. I’m sure he will feel better at Roland Garros.
Because Alcaraz has now become a World No. 2 player, he will only meet Sinner in Paris if both of them progress to the championship match. In his home tournament, the World No.1 was chasing his second clay-court title following the 2022 Umag Open he lifted by beating Alcaraz.
For Alcaraz, the Rome title was his 10th victory in clay-court finals and his seventh Masters 1000 win. The World No. 2 has now improved his head-to-head record over Sinner to 7-4. On clay, he edges the 23-year-old 2-1. Alcaraz now has 11 Big Titles in his career (seven Masters 1000 and four Grand Slam trophies).
He came close to winning the Paris Olympics last year but was unsuccessful in crossing the final hurdle in the form of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. In the ATP Finals, he produced his best performance when he reached the semifinals in 2023.
Jannik Sinner is satisfied with his performance at the Italian Open despite his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz
Before this final, Jannik Sinner was on a 26-match winning streak. He won the Shanghai Masters by beating Novak Djokovic, then captured his first ATP Finals, and continued his winning ways in the Davis Cup final, which Italy won.
Then this season, the three-time Grand Slam champion clinched his back-to-back Australian Open crown by outclassing Alexander Zverev. It was Alcaraz who registered his third consecutive win over Sinner in the Beijing final last year in October and since then, the latter never faced any defeat until this Rome final.
Though Sinner lost, there was no sign of disappointment on his face. Sinner, who previously outclassed two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud 6-0, 6-1, was happy to be playing high-level tennis after the doping ban. He said at the press conference:
Overall, I am very happy with this tournament. It gives me the confidence to play great tennis in Paris, I hope. We will see what happens in France. After three months, coming here and achieving this result means a lot to me, but also to my team.
Alcaraz now has the most titles on the ATP Tour this season (three). Before the Italian Masters 1000, he took home his first Rotterdam Open and his first Monte Carlo Masters trophy. Sinner, on the other hand, was chasing his fifth Masters 1000 title, last winning the title of this category in Shanghai in 2024.
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