Many tennis players imagine themselves at the top of the PIF ATP Rankings, with Jannik Sinner’s name next to theirs. They put in endless hours of training every day after they wake up, striving to be the greatest in their sport. This season, Sinner’s dream has come true, but the Italian feels there’s still opportunity for improvement.
The 23-year-old, who has won 59 matches and six tour-level titles, has been the most dominant player in 2024. Sinner does, however, have a gauge for future development. Carlos Alcaraz leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 6-4, and he has lost his last three matches against him.
The rivalry between Sinner and the Spaniard, who is ranked first at this week’s Rolex Shanghai Masters, is inspiring.
Sinner talked about it and said: “I feel like — at least talking from my side — he pushes me to do better. I wake up in the morning trying to understand what I can do better trying to beat him next time, which is something nice for me as a player. It’s nice that we are rivals on the court and then friends off the court.”
Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry has grown quickly, making it one of the most exciting matchups in recent memory. Every time they play, thrilling shotmaking and a demonstration of top-notch court coverage are nearly a given. This was the situation in the China Open final on Wednesday, which Alcaraz just prevailed in a tiebreaker in the third set. For three hours and twenty-one minutes, the back-and-forth contest enthralled Beijing fans.
Sinner added: “I feel like off the court we are quite similar because we surround ourselves with our close ones, we like to stay with the team. There are many, many similar things. On the court, we are different. He is the one who brings the firepower, the hot shots, he involves the crowd. He’s a bit different. I am more like a solid player who is quite calm, so it’s like fire and ice a bit. But it’s a nice combination.”
Sinner in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2024
Now ranked no.1, Jannik owns an overall 60-6 match record in 2024. Sinner is currently having a run in Shanghai where he overcame Unknown Player bye and the world no.93 Taro Daniel 6-1 6-4.
will take on the world no.37 Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the 3rd round on Sunday at 3:00 pm on STADIUM COURT. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Sinner.Sinner has won 6 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, Cincinnati and U.S. Open. The Italian reached the final in Beijing (China Open).
Jannik won 17 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 7 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner has scheduled to play next in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of October.
Alcaraz in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2024
At the moment ranked no.2, Alcaraz has managed to achieve an overall 49-9 match record in 2024. Carlos is playing at the moment in Shanghai where he conquered Unknown Player bye and the world no.51 Juncheng Shang 6-2 6-2.
Carlos Alcaraz will come up against the world no.357 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . In the past, they have never played each other till now in top events.
The Spaniard clinched 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. Carlos reached the final in Paris (Olympics).
Alcaraz won 17 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). The main draw will start on the 28th of October.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz played each other 11 times. The head to head is 7-4 for Alcaraz. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) in the final in Beijing (China Open) on the 2nd of October 2024.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz |
| Embed from Getty Images |