 "Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner share a rivalry that is considered the fiercest since the heyday of tennis' 'Big Three'. Reuters")
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, ranked first and second respectively in the world, share a rivalry that is the most celebrated in the current generation and is considered the fiercest since the heyday of tennis’ ‘Big Three’ – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry, after all, has headlined the last two Grand Slams – the French Open as well as the Wimbledon – at a time when the spotlight continues to remain on Novak Djokovic and his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam triumph.
Alcaraz and Sinner faced off in both finals, with the former Alcaraz producing a comeback for the ages to emerge champion in a blockbuster Roland Garros finale that deserves a mention when it comes to tennis’ greatest matches of all time. Sinner would avenge the Paris heartbreak a month later, denying the Spaniard a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles and becoming the first Italian to win the grass-court Grand Slam.
Sinner and Alcaraz catch up in Cincinnati
The two young stars met during a practice session on Tuesday ahead of the Cincinnati Open, crossing paths for the first time since the Wimbledon final on 13 July. And their conversation during the meet-up suggests that the two share quite the warm relationship off the court, which is in stark contrast with their heated rivalry on-court.
“What did you do after London?” Alcaraz was quoted by Express as asking Sinner. “Nothing crazy,” replied the Italian, who reportedly opted to spend some quality time in the island of Sardinia after winning his fourth Grand Slam.
Alcaraz had a similar response when asked how he had spent his break between the Wimbledon final and the Cincinnati Open.
“Nothing crazy. I spent two weeks at home and one week in southern Spain. It was nice.
“Three weeks of summer at home, you know, might sound boring. But I haven’t seen all my friends, all my people, in at least a year. We did everything they wanted; I missed that,” replied the Spaniard.
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Reigning champion Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded first and second respectively, with both players set to receive a bye in the first round. Sinner had been crowned champion last year after defeating USA’s Frances Tiafoe in the final. Alcaraz had finished runner-up the year before, losing to Djokovic in the final.