The best of the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is yet to come, according to the Italian’s coach.
Sinner triumphed in the latest instalment of the new battle at the top of men’s tennis, gaining revenge for his heartbreaking loss in the French Open final five weeks ago by claiming a first Wimbledon title.
The world number one fought back from a set down to defeat Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court, ending the Spaniard’s 24-match winning run and hopes of claiming a third straight Wimbledon title.
They have shared the last seven grand slam trophies between them, with Sinner now boasting four major titles to his rival’s five.
Australian Darren Cahill, who has worked with Sinner for three years and previously coached Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep, said: “The quality of Roland Garros I think was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in the 25 years I’ve been a coach and a player.
“The rivalry I think is amazing already, and I think it can get better with both these players pushing each other.
“I do think there’s some other younger players coming through that will punch their way through the door, so it won’t just be a two-man show. Which we look forward to as well and are excited about.
“I have fingers crossed that they’re going to have a great 10 or 15 years to go, and they’ll have some more amazing matches.”
Six of the top 10 are aged 23 or under, with Britain’s Jack Draper, American Ben Shelton, Dane Holger Rune and Italian Lorenzo Musetti all looking to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz, while 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca broke into the top 50 for the first time on Monday.
But there is no doubt the top two are currently a significant level above their rivals – Sinner has almost twice the ranking points of Alexander Zverev in third despite serving a three-month doping ban this year – and both put a special focus on each other.
“I would say that we are preparing him for the field, not just for one player,” added Cahill. “But Carlos is a big focus, and both of those guys are pushing each other.
“I would say that Jannik watches more Carlos matches than he does anybody else because he’s fascinated with the improvements that are coming in his game, and he’s pushing us as coaches to make sure that he’s improving also as a tennis player.”
A potential blow to Sinner could yet be averted, meanwhile, with the 23-year-old telling Italian media that, by winning the final, he won a bet with Cahill allowing him to decide whether the Australian should reverse his decision to retire at the end of the season.
Sinner and Alcaraz will now take a well-earned break before turning their attention to the North American hard-court swing, culminating in the US Open at the end of August, where Sinner will be the one bidding to retain his title.
By winning Wimbledon and ending a five-match losing streak against Alcaraz, Sinner has cemented his position as number one and now holds three of the four major titles.
Alcaraz retains a healthy lead at the top of the Race to Turin, which only counts points from 2025, and he must look to avoid the sort of letdown that affected him following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the Olympic final last summer.
“It’s a different feeling,” said the 22-year-old, who suffered his first grand slam final loss.
“Last year in the Olympics I was really bad emotionally after the match. In the last year I’ve been through different situations (and) I learned from them. I just lost a final in a grand slam, but I’m really proud about being in a final.”
Sinner, meanwhile, expects his rival to take a leaf out of his book and bounce back strongly.
“Even (in the final) I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did,” said the Italian.
“So that’s something we will work on and prepare ourselves because he’s going to come for us again. There is not only Carlos, but everyone. We have a big target on us, so we have to be prepared.”
