Jannik Sinner makes ‘improve’ admission as he opens up on Carlos Alcaraz rivalry

Oli Dickson Jefford 23 Aug 2025 11:54 AM

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner after the final in Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner insists that both he and Carlos Alcaraz will “have to improve” if they want to maintain their dominance over their ATP Tour competitors.

World No 1 Sinner and world No 2 Alcaraz have been the ATP’s two standout players since the start of 2024, proving dominant at times.

The pair have won the last seven Grand Slam titles between them, one of the most successful duopolies of the Open Era, and have faced off in the last two Grand Slam finals.

Alcaraz rallied from two sets down to beat Sinner in an extraordinary French Open final, before the Italian bounced back to prevail in the Wimbledon final.

The pair have also met in two of the three most recent finals at Masters 1000 level, with Alcaraz triumphing in Rome in May, before Sinner was forced to retire with illness at the Cincinnati Open.

Since the start of 2024, Sinner and his Spanish rival have combined to win 15 of the 16 tournaments in which they have both played, and have now met 14 times at tour-level.

Sinner and Alcaraz have a significant rankings gap over the rest of the ATP field, and are the two clear favourites to meet in the US Open final.

However, speaking ahead of his title defence in New York, world No 1 Sinner insisted that neither he or Alcaraz would get complacent about their advantage over their contemporaries.

He said: “To have rivalries, it’s great.

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“It’s good for the sport, it’s good for personal view because sometimes when you’re tired in practice you try to simulate certain things, because they can happen in the real match.

“At the moment, me and Carlos, we are sharing big trophies, but at the same time, things can change. You never know. There are great, great players out there, and to the way to the final, it’s very difficult to get there.

“So let’s see if this continues. I always say we have to improve, because players, they understand us now, how we are.”

Sinner retired just 23 minutes and five games into his Cincinnati Open final versus Alcaraz on Monday, with the Spaniard now holding a 9-5 advantage in their ATP Tour head-to-head.

The Italian ultimately withdrew from the revamped US Open mixed doubles event held earlier this week, and has only returned to court in the past few days.

However, as he looks to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to successfully defend his US Open title, the world No 1 has revealed he has “recovered mostly” from his illness.

“I’m firstly very happy to be back here,” added Sinner.

“It’s a great tournament. It’s obviously the last Grand Slam we have for this season, so the motivations are very high.

“Physically, I feel good. I have recovered mostly, not 100% yet, but we are aiming to be there in couple of days. So [it] should be all fine for the tournament.”

Sinner has been handed an advantageous draw to defend his title in New York, starting with an opening-round match versus world No 87 Vit Kopriva.

The world No 1 could face 27th seed Denis Shapovalov in round three – the first seed he could face – before a fourth round against 14th seed Tommy Paul, who he beat at that exact stage in 2024.

He is then projected to face fifth seed Jack Draper in the last eight, third seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-final, and Alcaraz in the final.