'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Carlos Alcaraz recently disclosed his recurring thoughts from his five-set semifinal win over Jannik Sinner at last year's French Open. The Spaniard, who was on the verge of losing to the Italian at one point in the match, admitted that losing on his own accord back then was not an option for him.
Alcaraz enjoyed a good campaign on the ATP Tour last year, winning titles at the Indian Wells Masters, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the China Open. The four-time Major winner defeated his archrival Sinner en route to three of those triumphs - which is a testament to his refusal to play second fiddle to the World No. 1 in their rivalry.
However, Carlos Alcaraz's 2024 season almost didn't take its flight as Jannik Sinner threatened to defeat him on clay, arguably the 21-year-old's best surface, at the French Open semifinals. In Netflix's recent docuseries, "Carlos Alcaraz: My Way", he gave a set-by-set analysis of their five-set tussle, which his older rival began as the better player by his own admission.
Trending
"He really starts at a very high level. I can't reach that level. He pushes your physical and mental limits. So I had to change something. I sped up my forehand quite a bit. And I hit it much harder," Alcaraz told the Netflix crew, recalling how the match had panned out till one-set all.
After the first two sets, the World No. 3 began cramping in his legs, allowing his higher-ranked opponent to take a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 lead. Not to be deterred, the Spaniard began playing with a reinvigorated vigor. While Alcaraz was also fortunate that Sinner began facing physical niggles in the fourth set, the comments he made to Netflix for his documentary make it painfully clear that he didn't want to lose.
"That's when I thought, 'Jannik, if you really want to beat me, you're gonna have to take me out on a stretcher,'" he said during the docuseries.
Carlos Alcaraz went on to win the fourth set and ultimately the match by a scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in four hours and 12 minutes to reach the summit clash at Roland Garros. He then launched a comeback from a two-sets-to-one-down deficit once again two days later, downing Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to win his first Major title in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz leads Jannik Sinner 6-4 in their head-to-head meetings
The Spaniard has defeated the Italian in six of their 10 encounters, giving him a 6-4 edge in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour. While he has victories against the World No. 1 at the 2022 US Open and the 2024 French Open, the latter got the better of him in their Wimbledon clash three years ago.
More interestingly, Alcaraz and Sinner have split their tour-level hardcourt meetings in the Best-of-3 sets format. The 23-year-old also beat his younger rival from a set down in their Croatia Umag Open final bout in 2022 before either player had tasted title glory at the Majors.
