Carlos Alcaraz hopes to renew his on-court rivalry with Jannik Sinner soon after saying he misses the Italian on the Tour.
Alcaraz returned to competitive tennis earlier this month at the US Open following a wrist injury. In New York, he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Ben Shelton in five sets. Sinner missed the tournament, which Alexander Zverev won, due to a knee injury.
It remains to be seen if the two will lock horns again before the season ends. Their last meeting was at the Monte Carlo Masters, which Sinner won in straight sets. However, Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 10-7 and has won four of their seven meetings since the start of 2025.
“I have text him not too much, but a few times when he has been winning everything, mostly at the beginning of the year,” Alcaraz said during an interview with BBC Sport.
“I miss him, I miss seeing him around, playing against him. He pushes me to be a better player.
“People will be waiting for those matches, so I think it’s going to be better.”
It is unclear as to when Sinner will return to the Tour. Earlier this week, sports news outlet Sportmediaset reported that the Italian will soon fly to China to take part in the Beijing Open, which starts later this month. However, there has been no official confirmation so far. Sinner is the defending champion, having also won the title in 2023.
As for Alcaraz, his attention is currently on this weekend’s Laver Cup, which is taking place over three days at The O2 in London. The event features Team Europe taking on the rest of the world, and it is an ATP-sanctioned competition. This means the Laver Cup has a place in the governing body’s calendar and can use their marketing tools, but ranking points are not awarded to those taking part.
“When you have your team-mates, the best in the world, by your side, it’s a weird feeling but it’s beautiful,” Alcaraz said.
“We played like our lives depend on it. That’s why the Laver Cup is so good to watch as well.”
The Laver Cup will begin on Friday.
