A matter of hours after the draw for this year’s Wimbledon, practice sessions were in full swing across the All England Club. Just before 1pm, spotted by an eagle-eyed reporter in the media centre, were the top two players in the men’s game: two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and No 1 seed and the No 1-ranked player in the world Jannik Sinner. The pair were chatting, laughing even, in genuine joviality side-by-side as they walked to their respective courts south of the grounds.
It might seem somewhat odd to be conversing in such a relaxed manner, just a few days out from the third Grand Slam of the year. After all, it was only a month ago that the Spaniard fought back from the brink to defeat the Italian in the final at Roland Garros, winning one of the greatest matches of all time.
As such, you’d think Sinner would be sick of the sight of his Spanish adversary. Apparently not. This blossoming, intoxicating rivalry on the court takes place in an environment of impressive mutual respect. In fact, their genuine admiration for one another is as authentic as their will to win on court. They even crossed paths on the eve of this year’s men’s singles final, embracing by the Aorangi practice courts, again, both beaming.
Alcaraz, by virtue of his superior head-to-head record over Sinner (8-4 – and Sinner has not beaten him since 2023) and his two previous titles in SW19, is the favourite to make it three in a row today at Wimbledon. The Spaniard has not lost a match since 20 April. Unequivocally, he is and has always been the man to beat over the last two weeks.
Yet Sinner’s dominance for the vast majority of the five-and-a-half hour epic in Paris should give the Italian a huge amount of confidence and belief. It is the final showdown that the whole world wants to see again. And Wimbledon is desperate for top billing in the Alcaraz-Sinner arms race.
Much has been made in the build-up to this year’s Championships of the decision to move the start time of the singles finals from 2pm to 4pm. AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton insists the move is to make sure the “champions are crowned in front of the widest possible audience”.
No doubt the move – which sees the final now take place at a more convenient time of 11am (ET) in New York – has been encouraged by a lucrative American television deal. But it also represents the wider significance of the final being the best of the best, in front of as many eyeballs as possible. After Paris, there’s no doubt who those two are.
Alcaraz and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic have put on tremendous finals in the last two years, but had the Serb limped through his semi-final against Sinner to reach the final, it would have felt like a let-down, such was the captivation of the French Open showpiece.
In this regard, the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry evokes memories of Roger Federer’s battles with Rafael Nadal. Their showdowns in major finals took place across all surfaces, in the final of the Australian Open (twice), Roland Garros (four times) and Wimbledon (three times).
The height of their rivalry was the 2006-2008 period, in which they squared off at Roland Garros and Wimbledon three years running, with the crescendo of that sensational 2008 final in near-darkness. Wimbledon has surely been desperate for an equivalent contest as the sun sets tonight.
It is not the only way the two rivalries are alike; their contrasting playing styles made for tremendous matchups.
“Off the court, we are quite similar,” Sinner said last year of Alcaraz. “On the court, we are different.
“He is the one who brings the firepower, the hotshots, he involves the crowd. He’s a bit different. I am more the solid player, quite calm. It’s like fire and ice a bit, but it’s a nice combination.”
From Alcaraz opening up proceedings on Centre Court against journeyman and maverick Fabio Fognini, which lasted five sets and gave the Spaniard’s team a scare, while ultimately leaving the Italian with no choice but to retire after captivating such an audience on such a stage. Since then the Spaniard has beaten Oliver Tarvet, the British No 33 and world No 719, Jan-Lennard Struff and Andrey Rublev, in four sets apiece, before Cam Norrie was swatted aside in straight sets. Taylor Fritz had two points to take Alcaraz to a fifth set on Friday, but ultimately there were flashes of the two-time champion’s very best.
Sinner has had it rather easier, except one notable blip: the round of 16 against Grigor Dmitrov, trailing two sets to love and only level in the third at two games each, the Bulgarian suffered a heartbreaking injury. Sinner has been ruthless since, dispatching Ben Shelton, despite his explosive serving prowess, and then an injured Djokovic.
Sinner actually beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon three years ago over four sets in the fourth round, when the pair were just emerging onto the world stage. Could this play a part today?
It means Sinner was the last man to beat Alcaraz at the All England Club. It has felt like the Italian has been the only man capable of preventing Alcaraz from achieving a famous three-peat. Today we find out, with Wimbledon, as much as fans, are grateful for the Roland Garros rematch.
