By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 4, 2024
Jannik the Sinner AND Carlos Alcaraz just played one of the best matches of 2024 in the Beijing final and the pair of rivals could meet again in Shanghai, where they are expected to meet in the semi-finals if the seeds hold.
Sinner says that’s fine with him and admits he’s always thinking about what he can do better to beat his rival, the man who has knocked him down each of the three times they’ve met in 2024.
“It’s nice to be rivals on the court and then friends off the court,” Sinner told ATP Media. “I feel like – at least speaking from my end – he pushes me to do better. I wake up in the morning trying to figure out what I can do better, trying to beat him next time, which is something nice for me as a player.”
“I feel like off the field we are quite similar because we are surrounded by our relatives, we like to stay with the team. There are many similar things.”
Sinner will face Taro Daniel in his first match in Shanghai on Saturday. Alcaraz will face Chinese rising star Shang Juncheng in the eighth Masters 1000 event of 2024.
In court Sinner acknowledges the difference between the two stars and adds that he can learn from watching how Alcaraz goes about his business.
“On the field, we’re different,” Sinner said. “He’s the one who brings the firepower, the hot shots, he gets the crowd involved. He is a little different. I’m more of a solid player, pretty laid back, so it’s a bit like fire and ice, but it’s a nice combination.
“It also shows that everyone is different. I believe I have to take something from him as a player, trying different shots sometimes, which I think makes me grow as a player, but it takes time – we’re just trying to do ourselves, be ourselves on the court. .
