Jannik Sinner Archives - Page 2 of 3

When is the 2024 French Open? What’s the schedule? Will Djokovic and Nadal play?

April 3, 2024

As one of four Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open is one of the most prestigious events on the tennis calendar.

The clay major has seen some all-time great champions in recent years, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek, as well as plenty of epic matches.

The top stars from the men’s and women’s tours will be back at Roland-Garros this summer as they look to get their hands on the French Open trophy.

Eurosport and discovery+ will again be the exclusive home of the French Open in the UK, and here’s all you need to know about the Grand Slam, including when it starts, who should be playing, how to watch every match and what else is in store…

When is the 2024 French Open?

Qualifying for the French Open starts on Monday, May 20 and finishes on Friday, May 24.

The main draw starts on Sunday, May 26, as the French Open is one of two Grand Slams, along with the Australian Open, that is run over 15 days instead of 14 this year.

The singles finals will be held on the weekend of June 8.

Play starts at 10am UK time every day except for finals weekend, and there will be an evening session scheduled from 7.15pm UK time every day until the semi-finals start on Thursday, June 6.

French Open 2024 schedule

Monday, May 20 – Friday, May 24: Qualifying
Sunday, May 25: Men’s and women’s singles first round
Monday, May 26: Men’s and women’s singles first round
Tuesday, May 27: Men’s and women’s singles first round
Wednesday, May 28: Men’s and women’s singles second round
Thursday, May 29: Men’s and women’s singles second round
Friday, May 30: Men’s and women’s singles third round
Saturday, June 1: Men’s and women’s singles third round
Sunday, June 2: Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Monday, June 3: Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Tuesday, June 4: Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
Wednesday, June 5: Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
Thursday, June 6: Women’s singles semi-finals
Friday, June 7: Men’s singles semi-finals
Saturday, June 8: Women’s singles final, men’s doubles final
Sunday, June 9: Men’s singles final, women’s doubles final

When is the 2024 French Open draw?

The timings for the draw for the French Open has not been confirmed but it will likely be held on Thursday, May 23.

How to watch and stream the 2024 French Open

You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk, the Eurosport app and on-demand on discovery+.

Enjoy the action ad-free on the Eurosport app and via eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.

As well as coverage from around Roland-Garros, there will be expert analysis from on-site and in The Cube.

Who’s playing the 2024 French Open?

The top players from the ATP and WTA tours will all hope to be competing at the French Open.

The headline name on the men’s side could be 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Nadal has been troubled by injuries since the start of 2023 and missed the French Open last year after undergoing hip surgery.

He has said this could be his final year on tour and it has been predicted that either the French Open or the tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is also played at Roland-Garros, could be his last tournament.

Novak Djokovic will be looking for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title as he defends his French Open crown.

Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in last year’s final to win in Paris for the third time in his career.

Highlights: Djokovic makes history by winning 23rd Grand Slam against Ruud

He is currently tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam wins in history.

Iga Swiatek will be the defending women’s champion as she aims for a fourth victory at the French Open.

The Polish star beat Karolina Muchova in the 2023 final and has looked unstoppable at times at the tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina will all be looking to challenge Swiatek.

Katie Boulter is set to be the leading British contender in the women’s draw.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

When is the Monte Carlo Masters? Are Djokovic and Nadal playing?

April 3, 2024

It’s time for the clay swing.

The next couple of months will feature some of the biggest tournaments of the season as players build up to the French Open.

The first port of call for most of the top stars on the ATP Tour is the Monte Carlo Masters, which is one of three ATP Masters 1000 clay tournaments.

When and where is the Monte Carlo Masters?

The Monte Carlo Masters is played on clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club and is an ATP Tour event.

Qualifying starts on Saturday, April 6 and the main draw begins on Monday, April 8.

The singles final is held on Sunday, April 14.

Play starts at 10am UK time every day except for finals day, when the singles final begins at 2pm UK time.

Monte Carlo Masters 2024 schedule

Saturday, April 6: Qualifying
Sunday, April 7: Qualifying
Monday, April 8: First round
Tuesday, April 9: First and second round
Wednesday, April 10: Second and third round
Thursday, April 11: Third round
Friday, April 12: Quarter-finals
Saturday, April 13: Semi-finals
Sunday, April 14: Doubles final and singles final

Will Novak Djokovic play Monte Carlo?

The world No. 1 has had a rocky start to the year, losing in the Australian Open semi-finals and then suffering a shock defeat to Luca Nardi in the third round at Indian Wells.

Djokovic, who has been pictured practising with Holger Rune in Monte Carlo, has not yet hired a replacement for Ivanisevic.

Djokovic is into his 419th week as world No. 1 and this week will break Roger Federer’s record as the oldest No. 1 in history.

Jannik Sinner appears to be on the march to becoming world No. 1 after his stunning start to the year but can’t catch Djokovic in Monte Carlo as he has 360 points to defend from making the semi-finals last year, while Djokovic only has 90.

Carlos Alcaraz, who has slipped down to world No. 3, also only has 90 points to defend but is 1,080 points behind Djokovic.

There are 1,000 points on offer for the winner in Monte Carlo.

Will Rafael Nadal play Monte Carlo?

Rafeal Nadal’s potential clay swansong is set to start in Monte Carlo.

The 11-time champion has not played since making his return after a year out in Brisbane at the start of the season.

Clay remains Nadal’s favourite surface and is expected to be kinder for his body than hard courts.

It is still not known how much longer Nadal will play for. He will celebrate his 38th birthday in early June and has previously said this could be his last season on tour, which might mean a farewell at the French Open or the Olympics – but he has also not ruled out playing on.

Are Sinner, Alcaraz and Murray playing Monte Carlo?

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both set to start their clay seasons in Monte Carlo.

Sinner and Alcaraz were the standout players across the Sunshine Double, winning Miami and Indian Wells respectively, and look the closest rivals to Djokovic.

Murray’s team have said it is “still not clear how long Andy will be out of action”, but there is a chance he could miss the entire clay season due to the injury.

Who is the defending Monte Carlo champion?

Andrey Rublev beat Holger Rune in last year’s final to claim the first Masters 1000 title of his career.

Rublev does not come into the tournament in the best of form, having lost two of three matches across Indian Wells and Miami.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Sinner ‘the one to chase’ – Dimitrov hails Miami conqueror as ‘best in the world’

April 1, 2024

Jannik Sinner was hailed as “the best player in the world right now” by Grigor Dimitrov after winning the Miami Open final against the Bulgarian, who “felt like a rockstar” during his run.

He leapfrogged Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings following his victory in Florida to climb to world No. 2 ahead of the clay season.

“Jannik has been playing amazing tennis. It’s impressive to see him keeping this way of playing,” Dimitrov said.

“He plays his shots with zero doubt. It’s just clear that it’s time for his prime tennis.

“Can he play better? I don’t know. He’s the one who has to show up and he’s the best player right now in the world.”

Dimitrov moved up to No. 9 in the world after a run where he defeated top 10 players Hubert Hurkacz, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev to reach the championship match.

The 32-year-old had no answer to the Italian in a 6-3 6-1 defeat, but enjoyed the experience of going deep at a big event.

“I felt like a rockstar these last few days,” Dimitrov said.

“I really felt embraced, felt the love of the crowd. It’s been amazing weeks honestly.”

“When you lose matches it doesn’t matter if it’s like that or three sets. I need some days off to reassess where I’m at and get back at it, it’s the only way,” he added.

“I still can compete against these guys and do good against them. For sure Sinner is the one to chase right now.”

Although Dimitrov’s defeat came in emphatic style, with the Bulgarian only able to win one game in the second set, he still believes the new generation aren’t at the level of the ‘Big Three’ who came before.

“The toughest player I’ve ever played at his absolute prime was Roger [Federer],” Dimitrov said.

“I remember one day at Wimbledon I wanted to dig a hole and disappear. I’ve not felt that way against the other ones.”

Next up for both players is the Monte-Carlo Masters, another ATP 1000 event and the first big tournament of the clay-court season.

Starting on April 7, the event kicks off the run-up to the French Open, which runs from May 26-June 9 and will be shown live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Sinner beats Dimitrov to claim Miami Open title and move to world No. 2

March 31, 2024

Jannik Sinner claimed the Miami Open title and the world No. 2 ranking with a 6-3 6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov on a delightful sunny afternoon in Florida on Sunday.

After losing the final to Hubert Hurkacz in 2021, and Daniil Medvedev in 2023, this was Sinner’s third attempt to close out the Miami Open title, but unlike in previous years, he arrived in Miami with title-winning experience.

Since last year’s defeat to Medvedev, Sinner has won both his first ATP Masters 1000 title (the 2023 Canadian Open) and January’s Australian Open.

When the final got underway, Dimitrov appeared to have brought his best form. The players swapped service games, but the Bulgarian was in the zone. His second service game was won superbly to love, with Sinner little more than an interested spectator.

From there though, Sinner sunk his teeth into the match and never let go.

Highlights: Sinner storms past Machac to make Miami semis

He levelled the set at 2-2 and then produced a brilliant game of his own to pull off the first break of the match.

After holding to move into a 4-2 lead, he went so close to another break but Dimitrov won a breathtaking game to remain in touch.

After another successful Sinner hold, Dimitrov was up against it again in his next service game.

The Italian had two set points on his opponent’s serve and, while Dimitrov defended the first, he could do nothing to stop Sinner taking the set after 43 minutes on the court.

Sinner began the second set as he had left off the first, blasting past Dimitrov in the opening game, sealing it with a smash at the net.

Dimitrov held to love in response, but that was the high point of the set for him.

Sinner blitzed through his next service game before breaking Dimitrov’s serve in the following game. At 3-1 up, Sinner held easily before breaking again.

With less than half an hour gone in the second set, Sinner stepped up to serve for the match, doing so once again to love.

In his on court interview after the match, Sinner spoke with delight.

He said: “I’m really proud, obviously about the result. I started off struggling a little bit this week. I hadn’t had so much time to adapt on this court, so I knew it was going to be tough. But I got better as the week went on.

“Today’s performance was really good. I’m just proud of how I handled the situation, it was not easy. Yeah, it was a really good two weeks.”

Reflecting on his victory at the third time of asking, Sinner continued: “This was my third time in the final and I figured this would be the lucky one. I’m really happy I can hold the big trophy.″

The new world No. 2 continued: “This result is such a huge pleasure to share with my team, my family and all the people watching at home. The atmosphere has been amazing throughout the whole 10 days.

“This is one of most special tournaments for me. It’s good to be back here and I hope to see you all back here again next year.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sinner went on: “It has been a very special week for me. I have faced very difference situations on the court, different opponents. I was full of energy today.

“I’m very happy to now be No. 2 in the world, but it’s just a number… For me, the most important thing is trying to execute my game plan in the best possible way – which I’ve done. I’m very happy.”

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Sinner dominates Medvedev in stunning display to reach Miami Open final

March 29, 2024

Jannik Sinner produced a near-perfect display to ease his way past Daniil Medvedev on Friday and reach the Miami Open final.

In a replay of last year’s final which Medvedev won, Sinner got his revenge with a 6-1 6-2 win for a fifth successive victory over his Russian opponent.

Speaking on court after the match, Sinner said he felt “very happy” with his performance against an out-of-sorts Medvedev.

“I felt great on the court today,” he said. “Usually, the more you go on in a tournament, the more comfortable I feel.

“He [Medvedev] made a lot of mistakes, which he usually doesn’t make. I just took the chance. I was expecting a really tough match.

“If he breaks me in the first set or in the second set, it’s already very different.”

Sinner stormed his way through a speedy first set, where he landed back-to-back breaks to take a five-game lead.

Medvedev finally got on the board after 30 minutes to avoid a bagel, but it was too little too late as the Italian quickly served out the opener with a hold to love.

In the final game of the opening set, Medvedev adopted the unusual tactic of retreating from the baseline to help combat Sinner’s destructive serves, but it did little to help as the world No. 3 continued his relentless form.

Medvedev was struggling just as much with the ball in hand, as Sinner kickstarted the second set equally as impressively as he concluded the first, with a break to love as the Russian began to grow frustrated.

Another crushing game from the Australian Open champion Sinner followed, as he found himself 2-0 up in the second set after just seven minutes.

It was not until the second point in the third game that Medvedev finally won a point on serve, as he managed to halve the deficit to keep himself in contention.

Sinner produced a series of monstrous serves to help restore his two-game lead, but Medvedev showed signs of improvement as he began to slowly grow and compete in the match for the first time.

However, a defeat looked inevitable for Medvedev as quickly as he looked to be back in it, as the excellent Sinner sealed another break for 4-1 to put himself within touching distance of the final.

After a brilliant rally with equally impressive efforts from the pair, Sinner moved to within a game of victory before Medvedev held serve to stay alive.

But Sinner served out to wrap up the match after one hour and nine minutes, as his stunning 2024 continued.

He will play either Alexander Zverev or Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday’s final as he seeks a 13th ATP title and the world No. 2 spot.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Sinner downs Machac in straight sets to reach Miami Open semi-finals

March 27, 2024

Jannik Sinner is into the semi-finals of the Miami Open after beating Tomas Machac in straight sets.

The world No. 3 was forced to dig deep against Machac, who ended the hopes of Andy Murray in a dramatic last-32 contest that left the Brit facing more time out of the game.

But the Australian Open champion eventually broke his opponent’s resistance to complete a 6-4 6-2 victory to set up a last-four clash with either Daniil Medvedev or Nicolas Jarry.

“This for me is a really special tournament,” Sinner told Sky Sports. “Four years ago I made the final for the first time in a Masters event and this is always in your heart.

“Coming back is a really special feeling.”

The match could hardly have started better for Sinner, who broke to 15 in the opening game. Machac immediately showed he was up for the challenge, though, and broke back to restore parity at 1-1.

It was a set that was packed with brilliant rallies, as both players displayed their elite ball-striking from the back of the court.

Four successive holds brought an enthralling encounter to 3-3 before Sinner made his move, breaking for 4-3 and then holding for 5-3.

Machac forced the Italian to serve out the set and he made no mistake.

In the second, the errors started to flow from the Czech’s racquet, although he did well to save two break points and hold serve in the opening game.

He would lose his next two service games, however, as the extra accuracy from Sinner told and saw him take a 5-1 lead.

Machac fought to the end of his first Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance but he was powerless to stop Sinner, who is still on course for a third title of the season, having clinched his first Grand Slam in Melbourne and then backed that up by winning the Rotterdam Open.

“We practice hard to be in this position,” Sinner added. “For me, coming here after Indian Wells to compete in the best possible way and just be happy on the court.

“It’s tricky to play here because of the wind sometimes and you have to be strong mentally and accept every situation on the court and this is where I have improved a lot.”

Stream top tennis action, including the French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Sinner lifts lid on gaming sessions with ‘good friend’ Donnarumma

March 27, 2024

Jannik Sinner has revealed that he sometimes plays video game Call of Duty with Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and enjoyed the “amazing experience” of meeting the national team.

World No. 3 Sinner met with the Italy squad and the coaching staff in Miami last week ahead of their international friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador.

He was seen in conversation with head coach Luciano Spalletti as well as legendary former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and current No. 1 Donnarumma.

Earlier this year, Donnarumma posted on social media his excited reaction to his fellow Italian Sinner winning the Australian Open.

Sinner has now spoken about the relationship he has with the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper.

“Now a little bit less but we have always been in contact. He’s a really nice man.”

Asked about meeting the Italian team, Sinner added: “I had the chance to talk to the players, which was really nice. The coach, really nice. I think it was just an amazing experience from my side, you know.

“It is something different. I like to do also stuff not only in tennis, but off the court I love to be in sport environments like you know, football and then if I have a chance, then I would like to see once the NBA.”

Carlos Alcaraz was in attendance at an NBA game on Tuesday evening following his win over Lorenzo Musetti.

Alcaraz and Sinner remain on track to meet in a blockbuster final in Miami.

Sinner, whose only loss of the year was against Alcaraz in Indian Wells, next faces Andy Murray’s conqueror Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals.

It will be the first career meeting between Sinner and Machac.

Sinner had some apologising to do to his physio Giacomo Naldi after his win over O’Connell.

Early in the second set, Sinner reached for a serve out wide and it hit the edge of his racquet and caught Naldi in a sensitive area between the legs.

“I hurt him. I still have to apologise,” said Sinner afterwards.

“I hit him with the frame because the serve was in and with the frame the ball went straight to him and in a really important point of our human being. I feel sorry for him, but hopefully it’s going to be all good.”

Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals with victory over Lorenzo Musetti.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Ruud stunned by Jarry, Sinner and Medvedev advance to quarter-finals in Miami

March 26, 2024

Nicolas Jarry claimed a huge scalp after dumping Casper Rudd out of the Miami Open with a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory to seal a quarter-final match-up with Daniil Medvedev.

The Chilean was roared on by some of his raucous compatriots in the crowd to secure a memorable win over the world No. 8.

Jarry immediately set his stall out to break the Norwegian in the first game and followed it with an emphatic hold to love.

Ruud penetrated Jarry’s serve to level up the scores at 3-3, but the Chilean prevailed after the first of three set points to move halfway towards victory.

The Norwegian was clearly struggling in a sobering second set, as a double fault left him a break and a set down at 4-2.

Jarry earned two match points with an ace down the middle and powered his way to victory with a ferocious backhand.

Speaking after the match he said: “The crowd has been amazing; I’m very happy with the result and the way I played.

“I was very strong on court not missing many easy balls, which was pleasing considering the conditions were so tough.

“The wind caused a problem for myself and Casper, so I was happy to deal with that.

“I grew up on clay so I know the feeling of having a strong forehand; Casper has it and that’s why he’s been a finalist at the French Open.

“I try to maintain myself and be very strong physically in every stroke.”

Medvedev overcomes Koepfer

Medvedev sealed his place in the last eight after surviving an edgy first set to beat Dominik Koepfer 7-6 (5) 6-0 in his 350th career win.

The Russian claimed an early break at the end of a mammoth third game which went to deuce six times, but the world No. 50 broke back immediately.

The German was showing his quality with his ability to win points off the baseline and gave the defending champion plenty to think about after securing consecutive holds to love having moved 4-3 ahead.

Koepfer displayed few chinks in his service armour to move 5-4 up with a convincing hold to 15, leaving the Russian serving to keep the set alive.

He did just that as a tie-break beckoned, with the 29-year-old’s aggressive approach reaping dividends.

Koepfer broke Medvedev twice early on, racing into a 4-0 lead before a rare forehand error gave the world No. 4 a possible route back into this set.

He fully exploited that road to recovery with the German crying out in frustration as Medvedev roared back to lead 5-4 after capitalising on a flurry of errors before eventually taking the set.

Despite an inauspicious start to the second, Medvedev drew first blood in the contest with Koepfer unable to return a forehand into the far corner.

Everything was starting to unravel for Koepfer, as Medvedev began to find his stride with a devastating array of shots and surged into a 3-0 lead at the start of the second set.

The Russian showed his ruthless streak to wrap up the contest with a bagel, breaking Koepfer three times in the process and rubber stamping his place in the quarter-finals with an emphatic hold to love.

Speaking about the comparative ease in which Medvedev won the second set as opposed to the first, he said: “I think sometimes it happens, when you lose the first set the way he lost it.

“He played very good, probably was closer to winning it because of the 4-0 in the tie-break and when you lose such a set, especially when the points were tough, it brings your energy down.

“I knew I had to use that in the beginning of the second set. That’s why it was the most important and I managed to do it. Sometimes that happens, but the level was high today.”

Sinner sweeps aside O’Connell

Jannik Sinner recovered from a nervy start to beat Christopher O’Connell 6-4 and book his place in the quarter-finals.

The reigning US Open champion was broken in the opening game by the Australian after surviving three break points, and followed that up with a hold to 30.

O’Connell managed to swat away two break points to go 4-2 up, but the tide turned in Sinner’s favour after the Italian claimed a break of his own and levelled the score back at 4-4.

The Australian was left serving to prolong the set, but a long return ensured the world No. 3 completed an impressive comeback to seal the first set and left O’Connell thinking about what might have been.

O’Connell’s short return off Sinner’s forehand sealed an early break for the world No.3 in set two, and momentum had seemingly swung firmly in the Italian’s favour.

A brief rain delay did not seem to halt Sinner’s charge towards victory, but O’Connell claimed an admirable hold at 5-3 to sweep aside the Italian’s first match point.

But Sinner had three match points in the bank following a superb forehand winner, and prevailed on the second of those to set up a quarter-final with Tomas Machac.

Speaking after the match, Sinner said: “Today was much windier, so I had to adjust a little bit.

“He started off really well, I made a couple of mistakes and when you’re a break down, especially at the beginning, it’s always tough.

“I had a couple of chances even before I broke him, so I knew I was doing the right kind of things. I tried to stay solid, he made a couple of mistakes at important moments and that was the key today.”

When asked about the more dominant nature of the second set, he replied: “It’s about how you can find the right solution in these moments; today I found it, but let’s see what happens in the next round.”

Stream top tennis action, including the French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Why Alcaraz is ‘wishing’ for rivalry like Federer v Nadal – could it be with Sinner?

March 25, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz says he dreams of being part of a rivalry like Roger Federer had with Rafael Nadal to help push him to his “maximum level”.

It was 20 years ago in Miami that one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history was born as Federer and Nadal faced off for the first time.

There would be 39 more meetings to follow as Nadal and Federer battled for supremacy on the biggest stages across 15 seasons.

It was a rivalry that will live long in the memory, and one that has resonated with Alcaraz.

“They have had a very nice and demanding rivalry at the same time,” said the world No. 2.

“What I’ve learned from this rivalry is that you can never fall behind or give up or settle. You always have to improve, you always have to raise your level. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re at your maximum level, that you can’t give more, you can always give a little more.

“That’s what they’ve shown for so many years that they’ve been up there. Every time they lost to each other, they tried to be better to win the next time. And they’ve done that for a long time, which is something incredible and something to admire.

“I wish I could have a rivalry like they have had.”

It seems more likely than not that Alcaraz, who plays Gael Monfils in the last 32 of the Miami Open on Monday, will be part of the next great rivalry in men’s tennis.

There have been early signs of that in his eight matches against world No. 3 Jannik Sinner, with plenty of thrilling moments and some incredible shot-making from both players.

At 20 and 22, Alcaraz and Sinner are considered the likely leaders of the next generation when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic retires.

“Hopefully both Jannik and I have a nice long future ahead of us,” said Alcaraz.

“In that way I hope I can give my best level and continue to grow thanks to him while I see the level he is having.”

Alcaraz and Sinner are on course to meet in the final of the Miami Open.

It would be the second meeting between the pair this year, with Alcaraz winning in three sets when they clashed in the Indian Wells semis earlier this month.

Watch highlights as Alcaraz beats Sinner at Indian Wells to end Italian’s winning run

“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 has a lot of emotions, he shows a really good fighting spirit. Everyone is different, I am not showing so many emotions on the court, but it works as well for my side.

“I’m very happy always when I face him and it gives me a chance to see a new perspectives for what I have to work on.

“Last year I lost against him also in the semi-finals there. I just try to be ready and hopefully I can do also this year the same.”

Sinner plays Christopher O’Connell in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Stream the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+

Why Alcaraz is ‘wishing’ for rivalry like Federer v Nadal – could it be with Sinner?

March 25, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz says he dreams of being part of a rivalry like Roger Federer had with Rafael Nadal to help push him to his “maximum level”.

It was 20 years ago in Miami that one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history was born as Federer and Nadal faced off for the first time.

There would be 39 more meetings to follow as Nadal and Federer battled for supremacy on the biggest stages across 15 seasons.

It was a rivalry that will live long in the memory, and one that has resonated with Alcaraz.

“They have had a very nice and demanding rivalry at the same time,” said the world No. 2.

“I wish I could have a rivalry like they have had.”

It seems more likely than not that Alcaraz, who plays Gael Monfils in the last 32 of the Miami Open on Monday, will be part of the next great rivalry in men’s tennis.

There have been early signs of that in his eight matches against world No. 3 Jannik Sinner, with plenty of thrilling moments and some incredible shot-making from both players.

At 20 and 22, Alcaraz and Sinner are considered the likely leaders of the next generation when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic retires.

“Hopefully both Jannik and I have a nice long future ahead of us,” said Alcaraz.

“In that way I hope I can give my best level and continue to grow thanks to him while I see the level he is having.”

Alcaraz and Sinner are on course to meet in the final of the Miami Open.

It would be the second meeting between the pair this year, with Alcaraz winning in three sets when they clashed in the Indian Wells semis earlier this month.