Jannik Sinner makes his feelings known on Carlos Alcaraz's Career Grand Slam pursuit at Australian Open

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz split the Grand Slams last year, with Sinner winning the Australian Open and the US Open, while Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon. They both want to win as many as possible this year, ideally all four, but for Alcaraz, the Australian Open holds more significance than the others.

The Spaniard has won every Grand Slam except this one in his career. If he wins, he will complete the career Grand Slam and become the youngest career Grand Slam achiever. Sinner is well aware of that and understands the added motivation for Alcaraz.

"Yeah. I understand him [Carlos Alcaraz]. I know him. I know what’s missing for him, the career Grand Slam. There are many others who also want this, so let’s see. Two weeks are very long. Always trying to be positive in tough moments and then we’ll see," he said.

Sinner mentioned others who want to win the Career Grand Slam, and he's one of them. He dominated at the Australian Open last year, winning without many problems. He lost two sets in the final against the giant Medvedev, but mostly it was an utterly dominant run.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner rivalry

The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner should carry the sport forward for many years. There were glimpses of it last year when they faced each other in their Roland Garros semifinal. Alcaraz squeezed out a narrow win to make the final, where he bested Alexander Zverev. He spoke fondly about the rivalry with Sinner (via Eurosport):

"That’s what is in my mind every time I’m going to play against him. The good thing for me is when I am seeing him win titles, when I’m seeing him at the top of the ranking, it forces me to practice even harder every day. That I think is great for me, having him, having such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day."

Sinner also spoke about Alcaraz and their rivalry in an interview with La Stampa in October 2024:

"We are two very different players. I keep the pace very high, I'm mentally strong. He is physically strong and at the moment he has a little more tennis-wise: he plays the slice, the volleys better. But for me it's a positive fact: it means that I have margins."

Overall, it promises to be a great rivalry, and perhaps the next chapter will be written in Melbourne this year.