Generational. Sensational. When it comes to Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz, fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden become insatiable.
The pair contested the fifth edition of their rivalry last year at the BNP Paribas Open, with Alcaraz winning in straight sets, and this year the dynamic duo are back to wow us again at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. For the first time ever, current World No.2 Alcaraz and World No.3 Sinner will meet as Grand Slam champions – and Top 5-ranked players.
Before you pop your popcorn for Saturday’s thriller, relive some of the best moments of the pair’s epic rivalry…
GET TICKETSEach of their first seven meetings have had gravity-defying moments, but nothing has topped the five-hour-and-15-minute slugfest that the pair contested at the US Open in 2022. The level of tennis on that night was off the charts – just ask the rowdies who stayed until the final point, at 2:50 AM.
It was an over-the-top affair, and in the end the result was significant, as a victorious Alcaraz used the match as a springboard to his first major title.
Sinner gave a detailed description of the sensations he feels when he faces Alcaraz on the tour last year, stating that the intensity of the rivalry is further heightened by the attention the fans and media put on it.
“Everytime we play against each other, I feel like we both try to push each other to the limit,” said Sinner ahead of their last meeting, in Beijing last October. “We hate losing, especially against each other. We have a very good relationship off court – we are good friends – but on court, inside you feel a little bit nervous.”
Alcaraz harbors the same feelings about facing Sinner. The 20-year-old Spaniard says he enjoys the exhilaration that comes from being pushed to his brink by his rival.
“That's why I love playing against him, that it pushes me to the limit. I have to be really, really focused. I love to feel that,” he said.
2023 was the start of a new age for the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry at the BNP Paribas Open. For the first time the pair met when one of them was a Grand Slam champion. Alcaraz took the victory, 7-6(4), 6-3, and went on to win his maiden title at Indian Wells.
Out-of-this-world points like the below masterpiece have defined the rivalry. Check out this doozy from their battle at last year’s Miami Open (won by Sinner).
Their second meeting at the BNP Paribas Open – and eighth overall – marks the first time that the pair will meet as Grand Slam champions, and the first time that both players have simultaneously held a Top 5 ranking (Alcaraz No.2, Sinner No.3) during one of their meetings.
Making the stakes even higher is the fact that the winner will finish the week with the ATP’s No.2 ranking – for Sinner that would be a new career-high.
Fans have come to expect insane shot-making when these two rising forces lock horns. Here’s another example of what fans might see on Saturday as Stadium 1 comes to life with the eighth installment of this rivalry.
Like most of the tennis world, Alcaraz is in awe of the tremendous hot streak that Sinner rides into their semifinal. On a 19-0 run, and 16-0 on the season, the Italian has been virtually unplayable since last November. What can Carlitos do to shake Jannik’s foundation?
“He's the best tennis player in the world right now, without a doubt,” Alcaraz said on Thursday in the BNP Paribas media room. “I heard some declarations from Tommy Paul that were funny for me, that he's absolutely [playing] naked right now. He's playing unbelievable, no losses this year.
“For sure it's gonna be the most difficult match that I'm gonna play this year.”
