Carlos Alcaraz Reveals He Didn’t Talk to Jannik Sinner After Italian Admitted He Expected Certain Players to Contact Him During Doping Ban
Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner's 24-match winning streak over top 10 players after his straight victory in the Italian Open final.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Giovanni Pelazzo, Carlos Alcaraz)
During the pre-tournament at the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner admitted that he expected certain players to contact him while he was serving his three-month doping ban. Sinner, however, did not reveal about whom he was talking about.
Carlos Alcaraz, after his 7-5(5), 6-1 victory over Sinner in the final of the Italian Open, was asked in the press conference whether he messaged or called Sinner. The Spaniard, who share a great camaraderie with the World No.1, honestly admitted that he couldn’t empathize with his biggest rival.
Well, I mean, that three months I can’t feel him because I wasn’t in that position. I mean, I can understand him that he was surprise about some players who call him. I didn’t call him. I didn’t talk to him in that three months.
The Italian Open was Sinner’s second tournament of the season after the Australian Open, which he defended to become a three-time Grand Slam champion. While he was on the sidelines, Alcaraz was struggling to win titles, as he lost in three tournaments, including in the two Sunshine Double ones, without reaching the final.
The pressure of dethroning Sinner from the top of the rankings table “killed” him. Alcaraz even thought of taking a break.
I mean, I was playing. I was in my feelings, as well. Honestly, I can understand him that he was surprised about some other players who didn’t call him. It is in his rights to say it. I have to say that I don’t know if he said that because of me or not.
Many of his colleagues on the tour thought Sinner received a lenient punishment for failing the drug test twice last year. Although many of them don’t blame him, they felt that the anti-doping rules should change, given that players with similar doping cases faced lengthy bans.
Carlos Alcaraz lauds Jannik Sinner for reaching a final right after his doping ban
Alcaraz now took a 7-4 lead in the head-to-head meetings with Jannik Sinner and is also 2-1 in the clay-court matches against him. Sinner was on a 26-match winning streak since last October as before this final, he didn’t lose a match since his defeat in the China Open final to Alcaraz.
Though Alcaraz didn’t contact Sinner during those three months, he always wished for the World No.1’s comeback. He was all praise for the home favorite for reaching the final in his comeback tournament.
Coming back here, to your home tournament, reaching the final…it’s amazing what you and your team have achieved. I never tire of saying how wonderful you are as a person and as an athlete.
Carlos Alcaraz said during the trophy-presentation:
The match was Alcaraz and Sinner’s 25th tour-level final and their first in Rome. Before this season, Sinner never progressed to the semifinal and Alcaraz never made it to the quarterfinals.
It was Alcaraz’s 10th clay-court title, and he is now the only player on the ATP tour this season with three titles as before this tournament, he captured his first Monte Carlo Masters and Rotterdam Open titles.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has reached every final of the clay-court tournaments he played this season. Apart from Rome and Monte Carlo, Alcaraz also progressed to the championship match of the Barcelona Open, but lost the match to Holger Rune.
Both the players will now shift their focus onto the French Open, which starts on May 25th. Alcaraz is the defending champion and last year, en route to his win over Alexander Zverev in the final, the 22-year-old knocked out Sinner in the semifinals.
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