Jannik Sinner Shares What Kids Can Learn from His Rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz Ahead of Potential US Open Final Clash

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will only meet at the US Open if they both reach the final. They have both secured a spot in the quarterfinals and are aiming to win their second US Open title.

If they reach the final, they will schedule a fifth clash with each other this season, following the Italian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the Cincinnati Masters. Alcaraz clinched the win in all those matches except for Wimbledon, where the Italian came from a set down to deny him a three-peat.

Before arriving in New York, Sinner was forced to give the walkover to the Spaniard due to an illness in the Cincinnati final. One thing fans love about their rivalry is that, though they are arch-rivals on the court, off the court, they share a good bond. Sinner, after his triple-breadstick win in the fourth round against Alexander Bublik, was asked at the press conference what the kids and other fans can learn about his rivalry with the World No.2.

I think that we have a good friendship, also off the court. It’s something great to see. It’s we see that this is possible. It’s not like you have to be enemies also of the court. Of course, we are enemies when we step on the court. We try to we try to play our best tennis, but it ends there.

In their overall head-to-head meetings, Sinner trails 5-9. It was back in 2022 when the young rivals squared off against each other for the first time at the US Open, with their quarterfinal match lasting for five hours and 15 minutes. So far, they have faced each other five times in Majors, and only at the Australian Open they are yet to meet.

After the handshake, everything is fine again. And that’s great to see. We have great teams around us. We have also a normal life outside of tennis, which means he loves to play golf. I have my passions, and we in the same time we practice very hard.

Jannik Sinner added

Sinner will lose his No.1 ranking if he fails to defend his US Open title. Alcaraz has already surpassed him in the live rankings. He will face Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals.

Jannik Sinner on Alexander Bublik’s performance

Fans expected Alexander Bublik to challenge Jannik Sinner, given that the Kazakh ace knocked him out in the second round of the Halle Open this year before winning the title by defeating Daniil Medvedev. But Bublik produced his most lopsided Grand Slam performance this season.

In other words, he was no match for Sinner, who took just 81 minutes to book a spot in the US Open quarterfinals for the third time in his career. At the press conference, the first seed was asked whether he thinks Bublik should have done more from his side to make the match an interesting one to watch.

Sometimes, you know, we have days off where certain things don’t work. Some players they have some problems behind the scenes; you never know. At the end of the day, we try to make the sport as interesting as possible.

Sinner has improved his head-to-head record over Bublik to 5-2. His next-round opponent is compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, who knocked out Spain’s Jaume Munar.

Sinner will meet the 10th seed for the third time in his career and will aim to improve his head-to-head record to 3-0. The 23-year-old, a winner of just one ATP title, will be playing the US Open quarterfinal for the first time in his career. So far in his career, Musetti has reached two semifinals, including this year’s French Open.

Also read: Jiri Lehecka Reveals the Biggest Weapon of Carlos Alcaraz Ahead of their US Open Quarterfinals