Jannik Sinner Makes Humble ‘Success’ Admission While Explaining Importance of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in His Career

Jannik Sinner is gearing up for the final of the Six Kings Slam, scheduled to be held on October 18 in Riyadh. Sinner is in great form, but up against him will be a player against whom he has won just one match in their last eight meetings. It’s his arch-rival, Carlos Alcaraz.

En route to scheduling the clash with the six-time Grand Slam champion, Sinner secured his sixth consecutive win over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. It was also his second consecutive win over Nole in the semifinals of the Riyadh exhibition event. During his on-court interview, Sinner explained why he needs Djokovic and Alcaraz for his career.

At the end of my career, I would love to say I did everything possible to achieve 100% of myself. Success will never change me as a person. This is also very important. You need rivalries. You need better players than you. Carlos is an all-around player. An incredible talent. We saw this today on court. Drop shots…he can do everything. I look up to these guys. I look up to Novak. I look up to Carlos. To have a point where I can say, ‘OK, it’s very important for me to improve. ’

Alcaraz went past Taylor Fritz in the first semifinal. Sinner has so far taken home three titles, two of which were the Australian Open and Wimbledon. In the head-to-head matchups against Alcaraz (the winner of eight titles from 10 finals this season), Sinner trails 5-10. There won’t be any change in this stat after their Six Kings Slam final, given that it’s not an ATP-sanctioned tournament.

This will be their sixth meeting this year, following the Italian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, and the US Open. After the New York Major, Sinner and Alcaraz lifted the China Open and the Japan Open, respectively. Following the two ATP 500 events, Alcaraz skipped the Shanghai Masters because of an ankle injury, while the 24-year-old suffered cramps and gave the walkover to Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season.

Tim Henman calls Taylor Fritz the next best player after Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Taylor Fritz is the winner of two titles from three finals this year. Although he was struggling earlier this season, when the grass season started he ended up grabbing two titles. First, he secured his fifth consecutive win over Alexander Zverev in the Stuttgart Open final, following which, he went past Jenson Brooksby in the Eastbourne International.

In the Asian swing, Fritz lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Japan Open final. The 27-year-old will next be playing with Novak Djokovic for the third-place match at the Six Kings Slam. He was backed by former player Tim Henman to challenge the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner. Henman lauded Fritz’s serve, forehand, and backhand, as well as his willingness to constantly improve himself. He said on Netflix:

He’s brought in the drop shot a little bit, which I think again is good to get the opponents moving forward to backwards, not just side to side. So I think he’s one of these players who’s always looking to improve. That has been reflected in his results, and I think he’s the one who’s most likely to close the gap between the top two.

Before the Six Kings Slam, the 2024 US Open runner-up participated in the Shanghai Masters, where his run was ended by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the third round. Fritz will next be playing the Paris Masters, scheduled to start on October 27. Last year in Paris, he lost to Jack Draper in the second round.

Also read: Casper Ruud Slams ‘Shameless’ Bettors Over Abusive Messages Following Defeats

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