Carlos Alcaraz reveals the big edge he has over Jannik Sinner at Australian Open – ‘I won’t deny it’
Carlos Alcaraz is yet to play a full match in the “brutal” Australian Open conditions, but he believes he is well-prepared to handle it – and even feels he has an advantage over Jannik Sinner when it comes to the heat.
Temperatures were close to 40 degrees Celsius during Sinner’s fourth-round match against Eliot Spizzirri on Saturday and the defending champion found it tough to deal with the elements as he slipped behind in the match.
After sharing the opening two sets on Rod Laver Arena, world No 85 Spizzirri claimed an early break in the third set and Sinner looked “absolutely cooked” as he battled body cramps and struggled to move.
But then came the lucky break as play was halted due to the new heat rule – which states that if the Heat Stress Scale reaches 5, then play has to be suspended – resulting in a 10-minute interruption as the roof was also closed.
Sinner had some treatment during the break and was a different player when the match resumed, as he immediately broke back and went on to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The Italian admitted he “got lucky” while the likes of Tim Henman felt he “got a lifeline” while there had also been suggestions of favouritism.
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World No 1 Alcaraz shared his thoughts on the tough conditions as he dismissed talk of favouritism.
“I saw it. In the end, as I’ve said before, I like to watch Jannik’s matches, I like to see how he’s doing, what’s happening, also thinking about a possible match-up, and obviously I saw the situation with the heat,” he is quoted as saying by Spanish publication AS.
“I trained for about 35 minutes and I could already tell how tough it was; playing a whole match in those conditions is brutal.
“I don’t know exactly to what extent the rule says whether you can stop in even games, in odd games, or whether that particular game should have been played or not. I can’t get into that because I don’t know the rule in detail.
“What is clear is that, if it’s a new rule and it’s written that way, in the end you have to apply what the rules say. In this case, Jannik benefited, as he himself said, but in another situation it could have been detrimental to him. Yesterday, talking about that match, it worked out well for him and that’s how it was resolved.”
It is not the first time that Sinner struggled with the hot conditions as during his 2025 title run he also had problems during his match against Holger Rune with some saying it is a weakness
But then again Alcaraz has also had issues with cramps in the past so he knows exactly how his big rival is feeling.
The two can only meet in the final of the season-opening Grand Slam, but Alcaraz believes the searing heat could give him the edge over the two-time Australian Open champion.
“Those matches are tough. I’ve played some where I’ve had cramps, and then I’ve felt it physically in the following days, especially the next day: more strain, more muscle soreness,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said.
“Putting too much intensity or too many hours into the game can take its toll, especially at the beginning.
“But someone like Jannik has his team, he has everything meticulously planned, and I’m sure they do things right to arrive in top form. He’s from a very cold, mountainous region, and I’m from Murcia, where it’s very hot, so the warmer conditions benefit me, I won’t deny it.
“Even so, he’s been on the circuit for a long time, he’s spent many summers here, and I think he’s adapted. Although it’s true that sometimes he still struggles a bit, and that could be something we can take advantage of.”
