Australian Open could see Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner clash once again
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner might not have to wait long to reignite their rivalry, with another showdown in Australia potentially looming.
Alcaraz enters the tournament as the top seed, while Sinner follows closely behind as the second seed.
The main draw begins on Sunday at Melbourne Park, but both players already know who they’ll face in their opening matches.
Alcaraz will start his campaign against Adam Walton, while Sinner faces Hugo Gaston.
Roger Federer is a big fan of the Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry
Before the tournament, Federer weighed in on what he expects from the two players.
When asked about their rivalry and what he thinks might happen to them at the event, he replied: “That’s I think why we’re here. We’re here to see what happens. What we know about sports, anything can happen.
“Yeah, there’s favorites obviously, but still now that the draw is out, I think every player shifts their view to that one player and nothing else almost.
“You enter the zone of the next three, four, five days, however long you have before that first round. Starts mattering clearly.
“The rivalry with Alcaraz and Sinner is a great one. They play incredible tennis. I think that French Open final was unreal. I think the game – not that it needed it – but it was great that we had it.”
Alcaraz and Sinner maintain Grand Slam stranglehold
Alcaraz’s poor run at the Australian Open was the only thing that stopped a clean sweep of Grand Slam finals between him and Sinner in 2025.
It was Novak Djokovic who brought that run to an end, beating the Spaniard in Melbourne during the quarterfinals.
But after Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in the final, it was very much a case of the Italian versus the Spaniard and nobody else.
The duo met in each of the three other finals – at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Flushing Meadows – splitting those showdowns two apiece.
Their epic clash at Roland Garros stands out as one of their best. Alcaraz came from two sets down to win 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) after five hours and 29 minutes.
This dominance stretches back into last season as well. Between them, they’ve now won each of the last eight majors on tour.
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