Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry blossomed on the ATP Tour this season.
The pair contested six ATP Tour finals throughout the year, with Alcaraz leading the matchup by four wins to two.
They also treated fans to one of the best matches in history at Roland Garros. Alcaraz saved three consecutive match points before going on to defeat Sinner in a final-set tiebreak.
Most recently, Sinner defeated Alcaraz in the final of the ATP Finals: 7-6, 7-5.
The level of Alcaraz and Sinner has been extraordinary throughout the year, and their appearances in major finals have become somewhat of an inevitability.
There has been little to separate the pair this year. However, Patrick Mouratoglou has claimed there is a ‘decisive’ factor in regards to who wins when Alcaraz and Sinner play each other.
Patrick Mouratoglou says the serve was ‘really decisive’ this year in the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner rivalry
Patrick Mouratoglou is one of the most well-recognised coaches of the 21st century.
The 55-year-old, who coached Serena Williams for a decade, has offered his take on Alcaraz and Sinner’s 2025 rivalry.
The Frenchman, who most recently worked with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, made the comments on social media.
On Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “This final [ATP Finals] was the fourth big final that those two guys played this year. First one Roland Garros, second one Wimbledon, third one US Open, fourth one Nitto final.
| Tournament | Score | |
| Italian Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 7-6, 6-1 |
| French Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 |
| Wimbleon | Jannik Sinner | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Cincinnati Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 5-0 [RETIRED] |
| US Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| ATP Finals | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 7-5 |
“If you look at the results, it’s two for Sinner, two for Alcaraz. I would say except the final of Roland Garros that was crazy close, I would say that the three others were more one-sided. Sinner was really better at Wimbledon, Alcaraz was really better at the US Open and Sinner was really better at the Nitto final.
“It’s very interesting to understand what the difference was between all of those matches. I think the best final was the one at Roland Garros because the two players played at their best, they played unbelievable level.
“My take is that the serve was really decisive. Sinner served unbelievably in the whole tournament actually, the whole Nitto finals tournament and the final against Carlos.
“At the US Open Carlos served much better than Jannik in the final and I think that’s what made the difference. That explains why in the video when I talked about who has the best serve, the best forehand, the best backhand, I said Alcaraz best serve.”
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Mouratoglou is referring to recent comments he made about Alcaraz. After the US Open, the Frenchman said Carlos Alcaraz had a better serve than Jannik Sinner.
Mouratoglou has since changed his mind.
“That was true after the US Open. That’s not true anymore,” Mouratoglou said.
“If you ask me now, I would say best serve Jannik Sinner. Because at the Nitto finals, Jannik was by far number one – the whole tournament, and including in the final.
“And to me, that’s what makes the difference.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s first match
In 2019, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz contested their first match on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The match, played on a clay court in Alicante, Spain, was won by Alcaraz.
After defeating Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, Alcaraz lost in the second round to Lukas Rosol, the player who stunned Rafael Nadal in five sets at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.
Top seed Pablo Andujar won the tournament, defeating Pedro Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the final.
Martinez, 28, recently helped Spain reach the Davis Cup final.
