"Carlos Alcaraz makes me a better player" - Jannik Sinner opens up on his rivalry with Spaniard days after his French Open win
Jannik Sinner has discussed his ongoing rivalry with current French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. The most recent encounter between the two came in the semifinals of the clay-court Major, with the Spaniard winning in five sets.
The Italian pro was close to winning the match with a 2-1 lead at the end of the third set but couldn't carry his momentum, losing the final two sets. Alcaraz won 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and then defeated Alexander Zverev in the final, to clinch his maiden French Open title.
Sinner recently opened up on his on-court rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz. While praising him for his French Open victory, Sinner said he sees losses against the Spaniard as learning opportunities that make him a "better player".
"I am very happy for him. He makes me a better tennis player every time when I play against him and I lose I know what I have to improve, me and my team we will work on that and we can't wait to play against him again," Jannik Sinner told CNBC Sports.
"I think this makes me a better player because we have a rivalry which is a little bit different so I am very happy to hopefully show also in the future that I have improved as a player and looking forward to it," he added.
The reigning Australian Open champion did not have an ideal lead-up to the French Open. He withdrew from the Madrid Open quarterfinals due to a hip injury, and missed the Italian Open. However, he made a spectacular comeback at Roland Garros, reaching the semifinals.
"I'll just keep looking forward" - Jannik Sinner after his 2024 French Open departure
Jannik Sinner concluded his 2024 French Open journey on a positive note. While Sinner expressed disappointment over the loss against Alcaraz, he also emphasized his determination to glean lessons from it.
"I think it was a great match for sure. The sets he [Carlos Alcaraz] won he played better. The important points now I think that was the key. Obviously disappointed how it ended but it's part of my growing and then and the process of thinking back," Sinner said in the post match press conference.
Sinner added that he aimed to improve his game and maintain an optimistic outlook, highlighting the upcoming opportunity at the Olympics.
"I'll just keep looking forward to improve. I'm trying to do my best I can and then we see what I can do in the future here in this tournament. If we watch the positive side, I have improved from last year. There's another chance to play here for the Olympics and then we'll see how it goes," he said.
After his loss at the French Open, Jannik Sinner is narrowly behind Carlos Alcaraz in their head-to-head record, with the Spaniard leading 5-4. The Italian will start his grass-court swing at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.