“Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me,” said Carlos Alcaraz after his career’s sixth victory over Jannik Sinner at China Open. After wrapping up the match in 3 hours, and 21 minutes, the Spaniard confessed his “respect” for the World No. 1 not only as a player but also as a person. In response, Sinner, who praised Alcaraz for his “amazing” job, also expressed his “hope” to play more matches with him! Despite their friendly exchange, Alcaraz hinted at a more complicated relationship with Sinner.

During the post-tournament press conference, a reporter addressed Alcaraz’s “great friendship” with Sinner and asked him about their off-court dynamic besides their “incredible” rivalry in tennis. The reporter further queried, “whether you spend any time off the court, say, going to dinner or doing anything else besides tennis.” To this, Alcaraz, surprisingly, revealed,

“Well, we don’t talk too much when we are around, obviously. We have a really good relationship off the court as well. I think we both respect each other a lot, as a player, as a person, but once we are on tour traveling, you know, during tournaments when we are on site, we are with our team on our own, so we don’t speak too much.”

Alcaraz further explained the fine line between being friends and close friends. “When we can, we talk a little bit besides tennis, about life a little bit, but not too much. We have a good relationship, but we are not close friends, you know, but I think the respect that we have, you know, put us in a position that we have a really good relationship.”

After witnessing Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s rivalry-cum-friendship in tennis for 20 years, fans naturally wished for a similar bond between the next generation’s top players, Alcaraz and Sinner. Therefore, Alcaraz’s recent revelation might disappoint fans. Nevertheless, despite not being close friends, Alcaraz has always supported Sinner.

Alcaraz, who called Sinner a “humble” player even after achieving major success, also showed his sympathy for him owing to the reopening of the Italian’s doping case. “It’s difficult for him…I feel (for) him,” he said. Besides praising his indomitable spirit on-court, Alcaraz also stated (in March) that he enjoys watching Sinner play.

Even when Sinner won his maiden US Open trophy, Alcaraz showed his support for him and wrote on X, “Congratulations @janniksin 🏆 You deserve it! 🤝 Enjoy the moment!” And now, after finishing up their matches in China, the duo who played ten times against each other are flying to Shanghai (for their upcoming event) together with their respective teams on a plane!

While their friendship may not be as intimate as perceived, the respect and camaraderie between these two tennis stars remain undeniable and Sinner’s words reflect the same as well!

“We are good friends off the court,” Sinner says of his bond with Carlos Alcaraz

Before heading into this year’s Indian Wells semifinals, Alcaraz and Sinner engaged in a warm-up session together. Although the match ended in Alcaraz’s favor, Sinner’s comments before the match highlighted his deep admiration for him. “Carlos, it’s always fun to play with him,” said the 2024 Australian Open champion. Furthermore, he added, “We are good friends off the court. On the court, we just try to give 100 percent. I think we have a good attitude on the court.” 

Per Sinner, his matches against Alcaraz are “usually good.” However, he admitted that when Alcaraz serves “really well,” he struggles to get past him during a match. But it ultimately pushes them to perform better, especially against each other, as he admitted that they both “hate losing.” “So on court, inside you feel a little bit nervous,” he concluded.

The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry has captivated fans worldwide, and hopefully we will witness more of their off-court friendship in the future as well!