Carlos Alcaraz may be making his Tokyo debut this week while Jannik Sinner battles in Beijing, but the Spaniard can’t help studying their growing rivalry.
After toppling Sinner in the US Open final, Alcaraz extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead to 10-5, winning seven of their past eight clashes. That loss cost Sinner the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings and also prompted the Italian to hint at changes. Alcaraz, however, believes he’s still one step ahead.
“I know he’s going to change,” Alcaraz said of Sinner during a pre-tournament press conference in Tokyo. “He is going to change something from the last match. It’s the same thing that I did when I lost to him a couple of times. I tried to be a better player. Next time I’m going to face him so I expect him to do the same thing to change a few things just to be ready and I have to be focused and I have to be ready for the changes.
“I will try to overcome those changes [and] be ready for that rivalry. I think it’s getting better for me and for tennis. We will see in the future how many times I’m going to play against him and in which circumstances we would play. But I think right now it’s going great.”
It’s been a dominant year for Alcaraz. With a Tour-leading 62 wins and seven trophies this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he is already just four victories away from eclipsing his personal tally of 65 wins from 2023.
He is also the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is in good stead to claim his second ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finish. Despite his success, Alcaraz downplayed any talk of chasing the ‘greatest of all time’ label.
“It’s something that’s not in my mind right now,” Alcaraz said when asked of his aim to become the best player ever. “I always say that my goal in tennis is to try to be at the same table as the legends or the best players in history, but it’s not something that I’m thinking about right now. I’ve achieved great things already in just 22 years.
“I already know that but I don’t know in the future how many things or how many tournaments I’m going to achieve. So I think it’s something that I have to take care of every day about the details about everything practising well and we will see in the future. I think nobody knows the future. So what I’m thinking right now is to do the good things that I’ve been doing, following the good path. I’m trying to be the best player and the best person I can be every day. That’s all I’m thinking right now.”
That journey continues this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where Alcaraz aims to join 12 fellow ATP No. 1 Club members who have triumphed in Tokyo.
This time last year, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in a thrilling final to lift the Beijing trophy, but in 2025 he has opted to compete at the ATP 500 in Tokyo for the first time. He faces Sebastian Baez in his opener on Thursday and could meet Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
“I know it is a great tournament. I know the players who have played this tournament before and the players who have won this tournament before,” Alcaraz said. “I just really wanted to come here, play great tennis, perform well and try to win the trophy. That’s why I’m here just to feel great on court, giving myself the chance to win the trophy to win the tournament.
“At the end of the week I just really want to put my name next to the past champions that I know it’s an honor to be next to, to those names as well.”
Tokyo’s honour roll includes all members of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — as well as Andy Murray, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl, and many other greats of the sport.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
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