Carlos Alcaraz on Relationship with Jannik Sinner: ‘We Are Not Close Friends’ After China Open 2024 Victory
Carlos Alcaraz opened up about his relationship with his arch-rival Jannik Sinner after their meeting in the 2024 China Open final. The Spaniard mentioned that while they share a good relationship, they wouldn’t consider themselves “close friends.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have developed a captivating rivalry over the years, facing each other 10 times on the Tour so far, with the former holding a 6-4 head-to-head advantage.They have met three times this year, including their latest showdown in the China Open final on Wednesday (October 2), where Alcaraz secured a hard-fought 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory. The two also traveled together from Beijing to Shanghai, where they are set to compete in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
In a press conference in Shanghai, Carlos Alcaraz was asked about his relationship with Jannik Sinner. The four-time Grand Slam champion responded by saying that while they “respect” each other a lot, they don’t talk much when they’re around one another.
“We don’t talk too much when we are around,” Alcaraz said. “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.”
The 21-year-old added:
“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.”
