Carlos Alcaraz reveals player he thinks will be his biggest rival

Carlos Alcaraz has identified Jannik Sinner as the player he believes will be his greatest rival and feels having this competition will be important to help him “maintain motivation.”

The world No 1 described his rivalry with the Italian as “beautiful”, while also declaring that he feels he can still improve at everything he does.

Alcaraz defeated 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set Wimbledon final last week to win his second Grand Slam title. World No 8 Sinner was beaten by Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Championships – his first appearance in the last four of a major.

The head-to-head between Alcaraz and Sinner is 3-3 overall, and 1-1 in Grand Slam matches – with both those clashes coming last year. The Italian prevailed in four sets at Wimbledon, before the Spaniard edged a five-set thriller en route to winning the US Open title.

The pair have met twice this year, with Alcaraz winning in the Indian Wells semi-finals and Sinner returning the favour with a victory in the last four in Miami.

In an interview with TyC Sports, Alcaraz was asked about the importance of having a great rival to help him develop further, as with the rivalries between the ‘Big Three.’

“Super important. Having someone there, with whom you fight, with whom you have that battle, that beautiful rivalry, is important to maintain motivation for so long,” said the Spaniard.

“Right now, I think I have it and I’m not afraid to say it: for me it’s Sinner at the moment. That beautiful rivalry that we have, those big games that we have played, on big stages. As the years go by there will be better ones and we will fight for the big titles.”

The 20-year-old also insisted he thinks can get better in all areas of his game, having been lauded by many pundits for already being such a complete player.

“I need to polish many things. Like Djokovic when he started his career and he had already won four or five Grand Slams, just like Rafa [Nadal] or [Roger] Federer. They had a style and they have been improving it,” explained Alcaraz.

“You are never perfect, you never reach your 100%, new things always come up that you have to improve, adapting to the circumstances of the moment. I consider that everything I do, what I can do better.”

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