Former World No.1 Gives his Take on Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz Rivalry on Tour: “It’s a Fantasy for Tennis”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both qualified for the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in Turin.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)
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Former World No.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has pointed out that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz complement each other in their rivalry. This comes with expectations that Sinner and Alcaraz might face off at the ongoing ATP Finals in Turin. Both are bound to reach the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the men’s circuit, breaking records and winning titles. They have claimed four Grand Slams each since the beginning of the last season. In fact, the last player to win a major title in the men’s circuit was Novak Djokovic in September 2023 at the US Open.
This year, Sinner opened his Grand Slam account by winning the Australian Open in Melbourne after defeating Alexander Zverev. He then went on to reach the French Open final, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz, but fell to the Spaniard in five sets, a championship match which lasted for five hours and 29 minutes.
Sinner bounced back from the disappointing loss at the Wimbledon Championships, making sure Alcaraz doesn’t win the grass-court Grand Slam for the third consecutive year. The last Grand Slam ended in Alcaraz’s favor as he beat the 24-year-old in four sets, taking his major title to rally to six in four years.
Alcaraz holds a comfortable lead over Sinner in their head-to-head record 10-5. During an interview with ATP, Kafelnikov was asked about the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz. The former World No.1 was impressed with the perfect competition both players give each other on tour:
It is evident that we are witnessing a rivalry that is a fantasy for tennis. It wouldn’t be good if only one dominated, as it is the charisma of both that complements each other perfectly. They are like the yin and the yang; one has their style, and the other is completely different, which is why fans are so drawn to them. I believe this week in Turin, it is clear to see that both Jannik and Carlos fill the stadium every day. They are two magnificent players for this sport.
Sinner and Alcaraz have claimed two victories at the ATP Finals in Turin. The two players have already booked their place in the semi-finals of the tournament. They will just have to win their third round robin matches to seal their place at the top of the Bjorn Borg and the Jimmy Connors Group.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov believes Joao Fonseca will one day play at the ATP Finals
Joao Fonseca has been one of the most trending youngsters this season. Since beating Andrey Rublev in the opening round of the Australian Open, he has continued to make headlines. He won his maiden tour-level title at the Argentina Open and last month claimed his second at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel.
He’s currently in the top 40 in the ATP rankings and certainly has a long way to go before breaking into the top 10, but he’s on the right track to doing that. During the aforementioned interview, Yevgeny Kafelnikov admitted that he believes Fonseca could one day compete in the ATP Finals:
Fonseca, obviously, with everything he’s achieved this year and winning major tournaments like Basel just a couple of months ago, could certainly be the player to watch next year. If he keeps this up, I’m sure that if not next year, then the year after, he’ll be here.
Fonseca took a bold decision not to play in any tournament during the Asian swing with the intention of training hard for the indoor hard court swing. The decision paid off hugely eventually as he defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the finals at the Basel Open. He’s going to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
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