Jannik Sinner Reveals Why in 2021 He Expressed His Wish to Play More Against Carlos Alcaraz: “Saw Someone Who is Special”
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be clashing in an exhibition match for the third time since 2024.
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Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)
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Jannik Sinner locked horns with Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in 2021, and at that time, the former expressed his wish to play more matches against the Spaniard. Sinner and Alcaraz have now met so far in 16 matches, with the Italian winning six of them, including two Grand Slam finals.
The 2026 season is underway, but Sinner and Alcaraz will start their campaign at the Australian Open, which begins on January 18. Prior to the first Major of the season, they will lock horns in an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, on January 18. At the press conference before the match, Sinner was asked to comment on his rivalry with the six-time Grand Slam champion.
From my point of view, how I was as a player in 2021, I don’t say very far from the top, but I was far. I felt like my level was not as good as it is now. He was very, very young… he was two years younger, and back in 2021, it was a big difference. I saw someone who is very special.
Last year, they clashed in a Grand Slam final for the first time at Roland Garros, which was nothing short of what the tennis world expected from a Sincaraz Major final. Alcaraz came from two sets down and saved three match points in the fourth set to defend his title and deny his biggest rival his first French Open title.
And when I said that, I was more hoping for me because I was very sure he would arrive in the stage where he is right now, and I was not sure, I’m not lying, I was not if I could ever be in the position where I am right now.
Jannik Sinner added
Following Roland Garros, they met in the finals of Wimbledon, where Sinner took his revenge, and the US Open, where Alcaraz avenged his defeat. The youngsters then ended the ATP season by clashing in the year-end championships, where the four-time Major champion defended his title with a straight-set win.
Marion Bartoli recounts Jannik Sinner’s nice gesture after French Open heartbreak
Following his excruciating defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner did not forget his manners. He did not let the emotions after that defeat get the better of him, as revealed by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.
He made the effort to stand up, came towards me, and I was like, ‘Is he really coming towards me?’ He came towards me, and obviously I stood up in front of him, and he was like, ‘Oh man! It was really nice for your interview for 15 days. I can’t wait to see you at Wimbledon.’ And I was in a state of shock that, after almost six hours of play on the court, he still remembers who I am and makes the effort to stand up and come on the court.
Marion Bartoli told BBC
Bartoli joked that had she lost such a final, she would have broken everything that’s possible in the locker room. The 41-year-old lauded Carlos Alcaraz for the way he, like Sinner, behaves after tough defeats.
At the Australian Open this year, Sinner’s goal will be to win his third consecutive title and become the second man in the Open Era after Novak Djokovic to achieve the feat. Alcaraz will be aiming to complete the Career Grand Slam, and if he is successful, he will become the youngest man to accomplish this by surpassing Rafael Nadal.
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