Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are set to renew their rivalry later today, clashing for yet another title.
Alas, it feels like forever since we last saw them play, with this set to be their first meeting of the 2026 season.
Despite their avoidance of one another, they have still shared the bulk of the top trophies, with the Spaniard snagging the Australian Open title and Sinner completing the Sunshine Double.
However, both are vying for instant success on the clay, and only one can succeed.
It seems hard to root against the 24-year-old heading into the final due to his form throughout the past week, but if anybody knows how to beat Jannik Sinner, it’s Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz explains how to beat Jannik Sinner
To reinforce just how well these two seem to know one another, Alcaraz has been speaking about exactly what it takes to beat the former world number one.
He is arguably the only specialist on this topic whom the ATP Tour has, and his answer highlighted just how difficult it is to overcome Sinner.
Who wins the Monte-Carlo Masters final?
Alcaraz admitted, ahead of today’s Monte Carlo Masters showdown: “To beat Jannik, you have to play the perfect match. There’s no favourite; the favourite will be whoever plays better tomorrow.
“We’ll both try to do our best and play to the maximum of our abilities. The beautiful thing about our rivalry is that every time one beats the other, we always come back stronger than before.”
Alcaraz has been spotted training ahead of the final, seeking to gain the extra edge ahead of his great rival.
Carlos Alcaraz is the only player in the top ten with a positive head-to-head against Jannik Sinner
To further prove the point that Alcaraz is the only player who knows how to beat Sinner, the head-to-head he shares against the Italian must be considered and compared against the rest of the field.
After all, the world number one is the only player inside the top ten who actually has a positive record, having won ten of their 16 meetings.
Sinner leads the head-to-head against Zverev after winning their last eight straight matches, and recent form has also helped the 24-year-old claim a 6-5 win-loss ratio against Novak Djokovic as well.
Then, even when grouping Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti together, this entire class of players has only won a combined four matches against Sinner. Meanwhile, he has won 35.
