Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have solidified their position as the ATP Tour’s next great rivalry.
A chasm was created after the retirement of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Who would pick up the mantle and cement themselves as greats of the next generation?
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner answered that call. The pair, who are both still aged in their early 20s, have already contested a number of blockbuster matches on the ATP Tour, and look set to continue their dominance for the next decade.
Sinner and Alcaraz have played each other in two Grand Slam finals in 2025, winning one each: and they could be set to meet again at the US Open.
Sinner, who defeated Vit Kopriva in his US Open first round, has identified a ‘key match’ in his rivalry with Alcaraz.
Jannik Sinner says his 2022 US Open contest against Carlos Alcaraz is a ‘key match’ in their rivalry
Sinner was his dominant self against Vit Kopriva, affording the Czech player little breathing room during a 6-1 6-1 6-2 victory in New York.
After the match, Sinner was asked about his 2022 US Open match against Alcaraz, a match described by the reporter as the ‘birth’ of their rivalry.
In 2022, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the US Open quarter-finals. A titanic battle commenced, with Alcaraz eventually winning 6-3 6-7 6-7 7-5 6-3.
Alcaraz would go on to win his first Grand Slam at the tournament, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
Speaking to reporters after his victory over Kopriva, Sinner said: “Three years back I felt like we were getting to know each other obviously and in different ways, but we also didn’t know exactly what to expect in the future.
“It’s the same now. You don’t know what’s happening… I feel like when we were very, very young, it was like a kind of match where you just go on court and just hit.
“Now I feel like we have to prepare tactically, we have to prepare it also emotionally and mentally. It’s everything different, because, you know, in the past three years, we faced each other many times, and every match we play is different, if we watch the tactical side. So we make adjustments.
“But for sure it was an important match [their US Open 2022 match] to see also that our peak is very interesting to see also from the outside. It was for sure one of the key matches, even if we were very young.”
Jannik Sinner equals Matteo Berrettini
Sinner created more history on Tuesday, equalling compatriot Matteo Berrettini in a statistical area.
As per OptaAce, Jannik Sinner has matched Matteo Berrettini for the most wins in US Open Men’s Singles amongst Italians during the Open Era.
Both Sinner and Berrettini have won 18 US Open Men’s Singles matches.
Sinner is scheduled to play Alexei Popyrin in the second round, a player who defeated Sinner in their only ATP Tour meeting in 2021. The pair also played an exhibition match ahead of the Australian Open, which Sinner won.
