Carlos Alcaraz Reiterates Arch-Rival Jannik Sinner Helps Him ‘Give 100 Percent’ After US Open Triumph: “It’s Super Special”
Carlos Alcaraz reclaimed the No.1 rank from Jannik Sinner by stopping him from defending the US Open title.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)
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When Jannik Sinner was serving his three-month doping ban, Carlos Alcaraz was struggling to perform consistently, losing in three back-to-back tournaments without reaching the final. After Sinner’s return and Alcaraz’s win over him in the Italian Open final, the Spaniard time and again said that his arch-rival brings out the best in him.
Alcaraz cannot afford to lose his focus even for a while when he is playing against Sinner. Whatever Alcaraz made mistakes, they were way fewer than those Sinner made when they faced off in the US Open final. Later during his interview with ESPN, Alcaraz reiterated that Sinner helps him become a better player.
Well, as I said, thanks to him, I just give 100 percent every day. To improve, sitting down with my team and see what can I do better to beat Jannik to win this kind of trophy. So for me, having the rivalry means a lot, it’s super special for me; I will say for him as well, and for the tennis, for the people who enjoy every single time we face each other.
Alcaraz and Sinner share a good bond off the court. So much so that they bumped into each other quite often. Even Alcaraz joked during his on-court interview that he saw Sinner more than his family during the two weeks at Flushing Meadows.
But on the court, they are, in Sinner’s words, “enemies”. The World No. 2 gave complete credit to Alcaraz for the win and even showed moments of frustration during the match, which was in contrast to his ice-cool demeanor.
The Italian ace said he tried his best but succumbed to the defeat, blaming the “predictable” nature of his game. Sinner has vowed to improve his game by adding more variety and said losing some matches won’t matter to him if he can learn from the mistakes.
Mary Joe Fernandez on Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open final performance
Carlos Alcaraz loves to entertain the crowd by bringing out different shots. But sometimes, his shot selection does damage and helps his opponents win points. Former WTA player Mary Joe Fernandez feels Alcaraz avoided making this mistake and remained disciplined throughout the match against Jannik Sinner.
There were moments in that match where I was thinking he’s playing so well, he’s going to now try to go for even bigger shots or impress the crowd even more. And he didn’t. He, like, reserved himself, and he said, ‘No, I’m gonna stay to the bases, I’m gonna keep returning cross court, I’m gonna keep looking to run around.’ I thought it was a very disciplined match from start to finish.
Mary Joe Fernandez told ESPN
Sinner spent 65 consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings. Five titles he couldn’t defend this year. Sinner chose not to defend his Rotterdam Open title (which Alcaraz won). Because of his three-month ban, he couldn’t play the Miami Open.
Eventual winner Alexander Bublik stopped him from defending the Halle Open by knocking him out in the second round, while an illness forced him to give the walkover to Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Masters final. The fifth event was the US Open.
His sixth Major win at Flushing Meadows was Alcaraz’s seventh victory of the season. Additionally, this was his second Major of the season after his victory at the French Open, where he defended the title by downing Sinner. Although Sinner missed the US Open, he has become only the fourth man in the Open Era, as well as the youngest, to reach all four Major singles finals in a calendar year.
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