Jannik Sinner sheds light on rivalry against Carlos Alcaraz, says tension is more

World No.1 Jannik Sinner has opened up on his intense rivalry against Carlos Alcaraz on the tour. The Italian said the tension is always greater when he takes on the Spaniard as more people want to see their battles on the court. 

Alcaraz holds a 6-4 advantage in the ATP H2H battle against Sinner and the matches between the two have kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

While Sinner won the Australian Open and US Open in 2024, Alcaraz claimed the Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the previous season.

“You have more tension. You have more eyes on us because this is a match most people want to see. Obviously there are so many other great, great players that are in the mix with us,” Sinner said as quoted by ATP Tour. “First you have to arrive to this stage where you play against Carlos, which is a very difficult part to go through. When this happens, the feeling — I think he also feels the same way — it’s a bit different.

“Young players, we usually play high-quality match because when two players face each other and you bring out your best, the quality of the match usually is very high… At the end of the day it’s a tennis match. We try to do our best. Hopefully the people and the crowd enjoys.”

Sinner had a stellar run in 2025 and he admitted that there is a massive change as he is entering the new year on a high.

“It was a massive change. Many, many things have changed. Last year there were so many first times. Not only first time winning Grand Slam, but also the year before first time of Davis Cup. Then after becoming World No. 1, then winning also the year-end [Nitto ATP] Finals. There are not so many first times left in our sport,” Sinner said. “Obviously there are still two different Grand Slams that I’m still missing.”

Sinner will begin his Australian Open defense against Nicolas Jarry on Monday.