Jannik Sinner’s coach delivers verdict on Italian’s ‘great’ Carlos Alcaraz rivalry
Darren Cahill, the coach of Jannik Sinner, has called for more players to “come through” and challenge the Italian and Carlos Alcaraz at the very top of the men’s game.
World No 1 Alcaraz and No 2 Sinner have been the dominant ATP Tour players of recent years, with the pair splitting the last nine Grand Slam men’s singles titles between them.
Earlier this year, Alcaraz lifted his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam.
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Meanwhile, Sinner — who can complete the Career Grand Slam with victory at the French Open this summer — triumphed at the first Masters 1000 event of 2026 this past weekend, beating Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final.
The Spaniard and Italian have not yet met on court in 2026, though they contested a string of significant matches against each other in 2025.
Alcaraz and Sinner’s meetings in the finals of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open made them the first men in the Open Era to meet in three Grand Slam finals in the same season.
The pair also faced off in the ATP Finals final, and the finals of the Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati and Rome.
Alcaraz holds a 10-6 advantage in their head-to-head, though Sinner prevailed when they met in the ATP Finals championship match last November — their most recent contest to date.
Few have gained as much insight into the rival as legendary coach Cahill, who has been working with Sinner since 2023.
Speaking to Sky Sports in Indian Wells, the Australian discussed the importance of Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry, while also calling for more players to begin challenging them at the top.
“I think the rivalry has been good for everyone,” said Cahill.
“Especially as we have had the golden generation and Novak [Djokovic] is still doing amazing things and Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] and Andy [Murray] no longer playing the game, to have two players step up and try to fill some of the size of the shoes they have left has been amazing for everybody.
“The interest is there, the rivalry is great. Carlos being number one and Jannik number two at the minute gives Jannik something to chase, and so far he is doing a good job.
“I think the rivalry is something tennis needs. We need rivalries, and in fact, we need two or three more players to come through and create four or five players at the top of the game that week in and week out we see amazing tennis, and we see great tennis at the moment.”
Following Indian Wells, where Sinner lifted the title and Alcaraz reached the semi-final, the two are the top seeds in the Miami Open men’s singles draw this week.
World No 2 Sinner is a three-time finalist in Miami, finishing as the runner-up in 2021 and 2023 before lifting the title in 2024.
This will be the Italian’s first appearance in Miami since his triumph, having missed the event in 2025 due to his three-month suspension.
Alcaraz is also a former Miami Open champion, though he has not returned to the final since lifting the title back in 2022.
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