Yannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz renewed their rivalry on Saturday in the Indian Wells semi-finals. The duo split 2-2 from their previous encounters, but the Spanish player has the upper hand. The Cars defeated his good friend 7-6 (4), 6-3 to lead the head-to-head showdown, and Sinner has now explained how the teenager makes him a better player – something Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have often said about them. rivalry.
The Sinner and Alcaraz matches had already been compared to the rivalry between the Big Three, and added another chapter to the nascent Indian Wells semi-final rivalry. After the match, the Italian spoke about their recent meeting and explained how the 19-year-old was really helping him improve as a player.
“I always want to show excellent tennis, and at the US Open, I think we played very well,” Sinner said of their rivalry, speaking to OK Tennis, referring to their previous meeting at the US Open. In September, the pair battled for more than five hours and broke a new record for the last time at Flushing Meadows at 2.50am.
While it was Alcaraz who won this exchange and their final meeting in Indian Wells, World No. 13 was quick to note that he had already become a better player thanks to their matches. He continued, “There are always many exchanges between us, very quickly, and it is clear that we know each other a little bit, although in every match we change something.”
“Without a doubt, I think if I improve it is also thanks to him, today in my head I already have what I need to improve in order to overcome it next time.” This isn’t the first time either Sinner or Alcaraz have claimed their rivalry is getting them better, with the Spaniard saying the same thing after losing the Umag final last year.
“I will push myself to be a better player to try and beat him,” Alcaraz told the ATP after his recent defeat to Sinner. It’s something the members of The Big Three have often said about their rivalry – and something Alcaraz has also said after Omagh.
He added, “I think it will be the same for him as well, I will push him to be a better player like Djokovic, Rafa and Federer did when they were younger.” And Alcaraz’s wish seemed to come true, with Sinner echoing his sentiments and proving they are following in the footsteps of the likes of Djokovic and Nadal.
Just last month, the Serb made clear how important his rivalry with Nadal was during a news conference in Belgrade and claimed that each of his three top rivals helped him become the player he is today. He said, “Besides Federer, he was the most influential in shaping me into the player I am today, at the beginning of my career where I lost more than him and Federer.”
