Novak Djokovic on board the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry hype train

Novak Djokovic knows a thing or two about rivalries that captures the imagination of sports fans and he believes the promising rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner bodes well for tennis.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been involved in some fierce rivalries during his career as he was part of the Big Three with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and the trio certainly took the sport to a new level with their competitiveness.

With Federer retiring last year and Djokovic and Nadal also in the twilight of their careers, it begs the question: will the next generation also have rivalries to make the sporting world sit up and take note?

Many believe 19-year-old Alcaraz and 21-year-old Sinner are the future of the sport and they have already put their hands up as they have already delivered several incredible match-ups over the past two years.

The Spaniard and Italian have met six times at ATP Tour level – five of those taking place in the last 10 months – with each winning three matches.

Their two most recent encounters took place at the Sunshine Double with Alcaraz winning in straight sets in the Indian Wells Open semi-final before Sinner turned the tables with a three-set win in the last four of the Miami Open.

Djokovic missed the Sunshine Double due to his unvaccinated status, but he was impressed by

“I got to spend some time with the family and did other things off the court. But I was thinking about tennis, mostly about myself and how I can prepare myself the best possible in order to kick off the clay season in a good manner,” he told Eurosport.

“I did follow some of the matches from Indian Wells and Miami, highlights more than the entire match – not much patience for that – but I saw some spectacular points, especially from Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev.

“I think it’s a great rivalry that’s coming up between Alcaraz and Sinner – it’s good for our sport.”

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head

2023 Miami Open semi-final – Jannik Sinner – 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2
2023 Indian Wells Open semi-final – Carlos Alcaraz – 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
2022 US Open quarter-final – Carlos Alcaraz – 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3
2022 Croatia Open final – Jannik Sinner – 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-1
2022 Wimbledon R16 – Jannik Sinner – 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3
2021 Paris Masters R32 – Carlos Alcaraz – 7-6 (7-1), 7-5

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz described as ‘the chosen one’ and backed to lead tennis along with Jannik Sinner