“Hopefully it has just started,” Jannik Sinner on his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner’s streak of 19 consecutive wins, as he defeated the Italian in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters last week. Jannik Sinner has had a brilliant start to the year, as he claimed his first Major title at the 2024 Australian Open in January.

The rivalry between the two youngsters has kept the fans on the edge of their seats over the past 18 months. The duo have faced each other on eight occasions, with both parties winning four matches each. Interestingly, the two players are on opposite sides of the draw in Miami, and could well meet each other in the finals.

Jannik Sinner hopes that his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz has just started. He reserved some words of praise for his compatriot, complementing him for his magnificent levels of skills on court.

“I enjoy it [the rivalry], hopefully it has just started,” Sinner said, as quoted by EuroSport.

“He’s an incredible player and usually when we play it’s a very good match up. We both try our best on the court. We have a lot of respect for each other. Off the court we don’t speak that much because he has his own things and I have my things, but on the court he’s a player who can show so many things on the court,” he added.

Jannik Sinner says pressure of protecting his winning streak did not impact his performance against Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner dismissed claims of being under pressure to protect his 19-match winning streak, which could have led to his loss against Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells Masters. The Italian stated that he was well-prepared that the streak was going to end sometime, and the fact that it came so late in the tournament has been a real positive for him.

“Every tournament you go to, it’s a new opportunity and here is a new opportunity again for me to show some good tennis. There are tough situations on the court which I have to solve, like in every other match and then that’s it. No, I was not even thinking about the wins and the losses throughout the year,” said Sinner.

Jannik Sinner will kickstart his Miami Open campaign against fellow Italian, Andrea Vavassori on Friday. Following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament, the 2024 Australian Open is seeded second in Miami, whereas, Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed.

Also Read: ATP 2024 Clay Court Season: Schedule of Rafael Nadal’s last season on clay courts