Rivalries of 2025: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner | ATP Tour

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Rivalries of 2025: Alcaraz vs. Sinner

All six of the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head conferences in 2025 got here in finals

November 24, 2025

To mark the tip of one other thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Greatest Of’ collection, which can replicate on probably the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and extra. This week, we’re taking a look at the most effective rivalries of the yr.

The Carlos Alcaraz versus Jannik Sinner rivalry has rapidly became must-watch TV not only for tennis followers, however for sports activities fans, providing a real ‘anticipate the surprising’ expertise. They met six occasions in 2025, with Alcaraz successful on 4 events to increase his Lexus ATP Head2Head result in 10-6 towards the Italian.

ATPTour.com recaps their six clashes from this season.

Rome Last, Alcaraz d. Sinner 7-6(5), 6-1
With Sinner aiming to turn into the primary male Italian champion in Rome since 1976 (Adriano Panatta), Alcaraz crashed the social gathering in a pulsating showdown on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Sinner, taking part in his first occasion since lifting the Australian Open trophy, appeared poised to grab the opening set when he held two set factors on return at 6-5, however a forehand unforced error and a mistimed backhand left the door ajar.

Alcaraz weathered the storm and located his finest tennis of the match to snap Sinner’s 26-match successful streak and seize his maiden Rome trophy. The Spaniard used his slice serve on the Deuce-side to nice impact and struck 19 winners in comparison with Sinner’s seven. It was a hard-fought victory to earn one other win in his Lexus ATP Head2Head collection with Sinner.

“He has that aura,” Alcaraz stated of Sinner. “While you’re seeing him on the opposite facet of the online, it is completely different. That is why clearly I am feeling that the individuals are placing a lot, — how can I say — stress in a sure option to each of us when we face one another.”

Roland Garros Last, Alcaraz d. Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2)
Alcaraz delivered a comeback for the ages on Court docket Philippe-Chatrier, clawing again from two units down and saving three championship factors to stun Sinner within the longest males’s closing in Roland Garros historical past. The five-hour, 29-minute epic had pundits debating its place among the many biggest matches ever.

Dealing with three consecutive championship factors at 3‑5, 0/40 within the fourth set, Alcaraz summoned each ounce of grit to by some means maintain serve earlier than breaking Sinner within the subsequent recreation to flip the match on its head.

With the gang’s deafening roar echoing into the Paris night time, Alcaraz confirmed his resolve as soon as extra within the closing set. After failing to serve out the match at 5-4, he regrouped for one closing, and decisive, push. Within the first Roland Garros closing determined by a fifth-set tie-break, Alcaraz delivered a flawless efficiency when it mattered most, changing into the third man within the Open Period to avoid wasting championship level (Novak Djokovic, Gaston Gaudio) at a serious and go on to elevate the title.

Many will bear in mind the fifth-set tie-break, throughout which Alcaraz was practically at his peak, crushing winner after winner, together with a screaming forehand cross to clinch the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

“I believe the true champions are made in conditions while you take care of that stress, with these conditions, in one of the simplest ways doable,” Alcaraz mirrored.

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Wimbledon Last, Sinner d. Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
5 weeks after his Roland Garros heartbreak, Sinner made a triumphant comeback to down two-time defending champion Alcaraz in 4 units and declare his maiden Wimbledon title.

On the All England Membership, many eyes had been on how Sinner would reply to such a devastating defeat to his biggest rival. After dropping 4 video games from 4-2 within the opening set, the Italian rallied with steely dedication at hand Alcaraz his first loss in a serious closing.

Sinner, regardless of 5 consecutive losses to Alcaraz on the time, went with a daring strategy. The longer the rally, the tougher he pummelled the ball, with out dropping in consistency. Sinner took huge cuts on return to use stress on Alcaraz whereas holding his floor with hefty serving. The ultimate set was a Sinner masterclass of grass-court tennis. He dropped only one level behind his first supply and transformed all 9 of his web factors to be topped champion.

“It’s largely emotional, as a result of I had a really powerful loss in Paris,” Sinner stated in the course of the trophy ceremony. “However on the finish of the day, it doesn’t actually matter the way you win or the way you lose at essential tournaments, you simply have to grasp what you probably did improper and attempt to work on that, and that’s precisely what we did. We tried to simply accept the loss and simply saved working. That is for certain one of many causes I’m holding this trophy right here.”

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS ❤️@janniksin | Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/WqPYkmGSDf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 13, 2025

Cincinnati Last, Alcaraz d. Sinner 5-0 [ret.]
A extremely anticipated closing at August’s Cincinnati Open featured an abrupt ending. Within the early phases, Sinner appeared out of types, trying bodily drained within the sweltering warmth. The Italian referred to as for the physician after falling behind 0-5. Unable to proceed, Sinner retired after simply 23 minutes of motion.

“From yesterday I didn’t really feel nice,” Sinner stated whereas apologising to followers. “I assumed that I’d enhance in the course of the night time, nevertheless it got here up worse. I attempted to come back out, tried to make it at the very least a small match, however I couldn’t deal with extra.”

Alcaraz, who consoled the ailing Sinner after they shook arms, claimed his first Cincinnati crown and his eighth ATP Masters 1000 title, probably the most of any lively participant moreover Novak Djokovic (40). Alcaraz had been searching for redemption in Cincinnati, the place in 2023 he let slip championship level towards Djokovic in one of the crucial thrilling finals in Masters 1000 historical past.

“Since I misplaced that closing in 2023, I needed this trophy actually, actually badly,” stated Alcaraz. “I’m simply actually proud and completely satisfied to have the ability to elevate it.”

US Open Last, Alcaraz d. Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Every of Alcaraz and Sinner’s six conferences this season got here in finals, and the subsequent title conflict between the 2 rivals’ got here on the US Open. In a high-stakes encounter, Alcaraz not solely denied Sinner’s title defence at Flushing Meadows, but additionally changed Sinner as World No. 1, ending the Italian’s 65-week debut reign.

A assured Alcaraz unleashed ferocious hitting from each wings and doubled the variety of winners as Sinner (42 to 21). The Spaniard dictated lots of the rallies and by no means loosened his grip behind his serve, dropping simply 9 factors behind his first supply in a medical efficiency. Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero later described his cost’s exhibiting as “good”, a verdict the now-six-time main champion Alcaraz echoed.

“He at all times desires me to play at my finest, and never too many occasions I’d say he’s stated that, that I performed completely. So for me, it is an ideal win,” Alcaraz stated. “However, yeah, he is proper. I believe I performed good. I performed completely.”

This yr marked the second consecutive season through which Alcaraz and Sinner cut up the 4 Slams, that means that they’ve mixed to triumph at eight straight majors.

“I believe we push one another to the restrict each time,” Alcaraz stated of his rivalry with Sinner. “My practices are simply targeted to see how I may be higher simply to beat Jannik. So I believe the rivalry is particular, splitting Grand Slams, preventing for nice issues.”

CHAMPION AGAIN 🏆 NUMBER ONE, ONCE MORE 🥇🔥

Alcaraz triumphs in New York, lifting the trophy once more AND reclaiming his spot as World No.1 within the PIF ATP Rankings with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over Sinner 🚀@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/jKOqQMGS7E

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 7, 2025

Nitto ATP Finals Championship Match, Sinner d. Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5
A season of dual supremacy deserved nothing lower than a closing act on the game’s most electrical indoor stage, the Nitto ATP Finals. Underneath the lights, in a crackling Turin environment, Sinner delivered red-line tennis from first ball to final.

Sinner’s greatest weapon was his serve. Having made some technical tweaks to his serve post-US Open, the Italian’s changes proved efficient. In a decent opening set, Sinner erased a set level with an ice-cold 117mph second serve. Boasting pinpoint accuracy all week, throughout which he didn’t drop a set, Sinner gave Alcaraz little to no respiration room behind his revamped supply. Sinner received 84 per cent of his first-serve factors towards Alcaraz to complete the week with an ideal 5-0 document and a document $5,071,000 champion’s payout.

“You will have management over one shot in tennis, and that’s the serve,” stated Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill. “Jannik and Simone [Vagnozzi] have achieved some unimaginable work over the past 4 or 5 weeks to rejig the serve and discover that rhythm and tempo the place he has been capable of up the first-serve proportion.”

Sinner mirrored on his closing match of the season: “I really feel I’m a greater participant than final yr, I believe that is a very powerful. It is all a part of the method. I at all times say and consider that in the event you preserve working and attempting to be a greater participant, the outcomes, they are going to come. This yr it was like this.”