Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, September 28, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have split six matches and collaborated on a couple of classics. 

Only one thing prevents the young stars from forging a fantastic rivalry.

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Wimbledon winner Alcaraz is just too good right now, says Sinner.

"At the moment it's tough to talk about this rivalry because I feel he has won so many things at the moment. I think at the moment he's still a better player, no? He has shown this," Sinner told the media in Beijing. "He was No. 1 in the world already couple of times. I think at the moment the biggest rivalry is him and Novak.

"But in the other way, for sure every time when we play against, it's a really good match. I think we both show the best out of ourself."

Alcaraz's pulsating 2022 US Open quarterfinal comeback conquest of Sinner was widely regarded as one of the best matches of last season.



The sixth-seeded Sinner, who opens against Daniel Evans, could face Alcaraz in the Beijing semifinals. Sinner says he has a lot of work today before he can cement a rivalry with Alcaraz.

"At the moment I'm very focused about myself because I have to improve also physically because I feel like I have a lot of potential physically," Sinner said. "That's also the reason why I played much more less tournaments this year than last year, because I have to prepare the body to win the big tournaments.

"It's going to be a question what will be answered in the future, no? I would be happy to be the rivalry of Carlos, for sure. I feel like that I have the potential to do it. But let's see.

"It's all about the future. We can't say what's happening."

Photo credit: BNL Internazionali d'Italia Facebook