"I didn't miss him" - Carlos Alcaraz makes his feelings known about Jannik Sinner's absence in amusing admission after Rotterdam win

Carlos Alcaraz made an honest admission about not facing Jannik Sinner on his way to winning the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The Spaniard joked that he didn’t miss his arch-rival, minutes after joining him on the list of champions.

Alcaraz was crowned the champion at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam on Sunday, February 9. It was the Spaniard's maiden indoor hardcourt title, and he beat repeat finalist Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the final. At last year’s event, de Minaur faced a 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Jannik Sinner in the title clash.

Despite being the defending champion, Sinner pulled out of this year’s event after his successful Australian Open title defense, thus pushing Carlos Alcaraz to the top seed position. While talking to the media following his triumph, the Spaniard joked that he didn’t miss his archrival in the Dutch city.

"Not really (I didn’t miss Jannik)," he said, laughing.

Alcaraz agreed, however, that a potential final against the World No. 1 would’ve made for an entertaining match and could’ve given him a chance to assess his level against the top player.

"You’re right (it could’ve been a fantastic final)," he said. "Probably we could have played a great final, who knows. You never know who is going to reach the final in the tournaments but I always want to play against the best tennis player in the world just to see where my level is."

Carlos Alcaraz then jokingly reiterated that he wasn’t too upset about Jannik Sinner’s absence considering he avoided the Italian en route to the title.

"But right now that I’m holding the trophy – I’m going to say that I didn’t miss him in the tournament."

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Carlos Alcaraz on Jannik Sinner's Rotterdam withdrawal: "I understand him"

Jannik Sinner (L), Carlos Acaraz pictured at the 2024 Six Kings Slam - Image Source: Getty

Just days before the Rotterdam draw was made, Jannik Sinner announced his decision to forgo his title defense, conveying that his body needed time to rest after his Australian Open defense. After joining Sinner on the champions' list at the ATP 500 event on February 9, Carlos Alcaraz backed his archrival’s decision.

"Obviously, he decided to pull out of the tournament last minute. His reason – I understand him, for sure," he told the media.

The Spaniard, though, agreed that the World No. 1’s presence would have been a 'great' addition to the tournament.

"I think for the tournament it could’ve been great, you know, having him and me in the same tournament," he said.

While Carlos Alcaraz missed out on a chance to face Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam, the pair are expected to contest the title at the ATP 500 event in Doha in a week’s time (February 17-22). Also competing at the event are Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur.