Great sport is all about rivalry. In the 70s and 80s, tennis had Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who played against each other a whopping 80 times, 60 of them in finals. In the last half-century, men’s tennis has been lucky to have Björn Borg and John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and McEnroe, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi and any combination you choose of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Now we have Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz and Sinner have played each other 12 times, with Alcaraz leading 8-4 after winning their incredible match in the French Open final last month, when the Spaniard saved three match points before triumphing in an epic five-setter. Like all great rivalries, these two men bring out the best in each other and their Paris match is already being talked of as one of the greatest of all time.
They meet again on Sunday, this time for the Wimbledon title. For Alcaraz, it is a chance to become the fifth man to win the title three times in a row, joining Borg, Sampras, Federer and Djokovic. For Sinner, it is an opportunity to wipe Roland Garros from his memory. Alcaraz has five slam titles, Sinner three, and between them they have won the past six. Their rivalry may not yet be in the same bracket as Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, but it is developing rapidly.
“The things we are doing right now is great for tennis,” Alcaraz said. “We just fight to engage more people to watch. Sharing the big tournaments with Jannik, playing in finals and in final rounds, it’s great.”
Sinner admits his rivalry with Alcaraz can not be compared to what the Big Three did for 15-plus years. “Six grand slams are one and a half years. It’s not that big yet,” he said. “This is the second consecutive grand slam we are in the final. I believe it’s good for the sport. The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other.
“I’m happy to be in that position, but let’s see in the future. If we can make that happen for the next three, four years, then people can think about it.”
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz hug after their five-set French Open final. Photograph: Javier García/Shutterstock
Sinner is the world No 1, the most dominant player on hard courts, having won all three of his slam titles on the surface. Alcaraz has two French Open titles to his name and as the champion here the past two years has the edge on grass. Alcaraz has won the past five matches between the two, but knows the margin between them is paper-thin. On any given day, it is about who executes their gameplan the better, who holds their nerve in the tightest moments.
Sinner says he has already shaken off the mental scarring of missing those match points in Paris and with the exception of the fourth round, when he was two sets down to Grigor Dimitrov before the Bulgarian retired through injury, he has played superbly here. Nothing seems to faze him and, even if that loss at Roland Garros must have hurt, he sounds genuine when he says he will have a clear mind when he steps out on to Centre Court.
“If it would be a lot in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again” he said. “I’m very happy to share once again the court with Carlos. It’s going to be difficult, I know that. But I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a different match. He is the favourite. He won here two times in a row. It’s very tough to beat him on grass, but I like these challenges. I like to go head-to-head, trying to see what I can do and what I can reach.”
Alcaraz dismisses any suggestion he has a mental edge because of what happened in Paris, stressing how Sinner has always learned from defeats. “I expect to be on the limit, to be on the line,” he said. “It’s going to be a great day, a great final. I’m excited about it. I just hope not to be five hours and a half on court again.”