Tennis News

Alcaraz on Sinner rivalry: 'We push each other to the limit'

Carlos Alcaraz was riding high Monday in New York.

The Spaniard, fresh off claiming his sixth major trophy at the US Open, enjoyed a rooftop photoshoot in front of the Manhattan skyline to celebrate his second triumph at Flushing Meadows. 

The 22-year-old became one of only three men in the Open Era to claim six Slam titles before turning 23, joining Bjorn Borg and countryman Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz achieved the feat by defeating rival Jannik Sinner, against whom he owns a 10-5 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage.

Fans dreamt of a final between Alcaraz and Sinner inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and that is what they got. This was the pair’s third consecutive major final, after Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Sinner earned revenge at Wimbledon.

<img alt=”Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/09/23/32/sabalenka-alcaraz-us-open-trophies-today.jpg” />
^{Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images}
Alcaraz was asked about his rivalry with Sinner on NBC’s TODAY show, which he visited with US Open women’s singles champion Aryna Sabalenka.

“For me it’s great,” said Alcaraz, who explained how battling Sinner helps him improve. “I think we push each other to the limit every time. My practices are just focused to see how I can be better just to beat Jannik. So I think the rivalry, it is special, splitting Grand Slams, fighting for the great things.”

Alcaraz also recaptured No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings from Sinner by beating the Italian on Sunday. The new World No. 1 owns a 61-6 record this season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and will try to carry his momentum into the final two months of the season.

A winner of seven titles this season, Alcaraz is in great position to earn ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the second time (2022).

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Reporter Shelton turns the tables on Trinity Rodman in funny interview

Ben Shelton is making headlines on and off the court, and this time, it’s for stepping into the role of reporter.

Just two weeks ago at the US Open, the 22-year-old American was caught off guard when his girlfriend, football star Trinity Rodman, put him on the spot during a press conference by teasing him about not hitting a serve above 135mph.

On Sunday, Shelton turned the tables. After Rodman scored both goals in Washington Spritis’ 2-0 victory over Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League, Shelton seized his chance to ask the questions.

“First off, I wanna say great game, Trin. I got a couple questions,” Shelton said to Rodman, who couldn’t contain her laughter. “Two great combo goals today, it was really cool to see the assist. Could you talk about your dynamic with Croix Bethune and how you guys play off each other. It’s really cool to see.”

Rodman answered thoughtfully, but Shelton slipped in a playful reminder of the US Open cameo: “No, I’m going to keep it positive,” he joked, alluding to the pointed serve-speed question she lobbed his way in New York.

Since going public with their relationship in March, Rodman has been a fixture at many of Shelton’s tournaments, including Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Now sidelined with a shoulder injury that forced him to retire from his third-round match in New York, the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is returning the support by cheering on Rodman at NWSL games, and even picking up a microphone when the opportunity calls for it.

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How do tennis rankings work?

BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team looks at how rankings work in tennis and how it could impact Jack Draper’s ranking.

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Alcaraz takes clear lead in battle for year-end No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz is in great position to claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the second time following his victory at the US Open.

Alcaraz did more at Flushing Meadows than lift the trophy and recapture World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He also took a commanding lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the season-to-date standings, which serves as a measuring stick for the year-end No. 1 battle.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Alcaraz now owns a 2,590-point advantage over his chief rival, second-placed Jannik Sinner, in the Live Race. No other player is within 6,000 points of the Spaniard.

The US Open final was a big opportunity for Sinner to close the gap on Alcaraz and set the stage for an intense year-end No. 1 clash in the final two months of the season. Had Sinner beaten Alcaraz on Sunday, there would have been a 1,400-point swing in his favour.

Instead, Alcaraz is in perfect position with two ATP Masters 1000 events (Shanghai and Paris) and the Nitto ATP Finals among the tournaments remaining in 2025. He last finished year-end No. 1 in 2022.

Only 10 players have finished as year-end No. 1 more than once, and Alcaraz can join Rafael Nadal (5) as the second Spaniard to accomplish the feat. Alcaraz and Sinner are the only singles players who have already qualified for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals.

Fifth-placed Ben Shelton and eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti are trying to qualify for the season finale for the first time. Musetti is only 80 points ahead of ninth-placed Jack Draper, but the Briton announced Monday he will not compete for the rest of the season due to an arm injury.

The next player in the Live Race is 10th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is 365 points behind Musetti. The Canadian is fresh off his best result of the year, making the US Open semi-finals, and has historically performed well after the season’s final major. Auger-Aliassime competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022.

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Draper ends 2025 season due to arm injury

Jack Draper announced on social media Monday that he will miss the rest of the 2025 season due to his arm injury. The lefty withdrew from the US Open after one singles match because of the same injury.

“Unfortunately the injury to my arm is something I have to rest and means I’ll be sitting out the rest of 2025,” Draper wrote. “It is very difficult for me to accept as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff.”

pic.twitter.com/NlLL1g8KSs

— jack draper (@jackdraper0) September 8, 2025

The Briton is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, but will not be able to make a push for his Nitto ATP Finals debut. Instead, the 23-year-old will focus on returning to health after a year in which he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.

“I’ve been through this before.. and I always come back stronger as I’m so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player,” Draper wrote. “Huge thanks to everyone who backs me to do well and supports me on my journey. Can’t wait to get back out there and give it my all. See you soon!”

Draper earned a 30-9 record this season, including a second Masters 1000 final in Madrid and another championship clash showing in Doha.

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Britain's Draper out for season with arm injury

Jack Draper will not play again this season because of the arm injury that forced his withdrawal from the US Open.

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Darderi goes from facing Alcaraz at US Open to claiming Challenger title

Luciano Darderi added more hardware to his trophy cabinet Sunday, when he won the ATP Challenger Tour event in Genoa, Italy to build upon his already memorable summer.

The Italian, who won back-to-back tour-level titles in Bastad and Umag in July, arrived in Genoa following a third-round run at the US Open, where he fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Darderi dropped just one set across five matches in Genoa and raced past countryman Andrea Pellegrino 6-1, 6-3 in the AON Open Challenger Memorial Giorgio Messina final. Darderi is set for his Top 30 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings thanks to his effort in New York followed by his title run on home soil.

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A post shared by Luciano Darderi (@luciano_darderi)

The 23-year-old has won three of his four ATP Tour titles this season. He also reached the third round at Wimbledon. Darderi’s triumph in Genoa marks his fourth Challenger crown.

In other Challenger action, Peru’s Ignacio Buse also went from the season’s final major to the winner’s circle. After qualifying for his maiden Slam main-draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, where he fell to Ben Shelton in the opening round, Buse was crowned champion at the LXII Copa Sevilla in Spain.

Buse, 21, beat Argentine Genaro Alberto Olivieri 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the clay-court final. Buse won his first Challenger title in June and is now at a career-high No. 112, approaching his Top 100 debut.

Former World No. 38 Alex Molcan claimed his second consecutive Challenger title at the Istanbul Challenger TED Open. Molcan won the Sofia Challenger two weeks ago as a qualifier and built upon his momentum to win the Istanbul trophy after a 7-6(9), 6-2 final victory against Nicolas Mejia.

The 27-year-old was as low as No. 646 in the PIF ATP Rankings in March, but is now nearing a return to the Top 200 — which he has not been a part of in 16 months.

Briton Billy Harris celebrated a milestone moment by claiming his first Challenger title in Cassis, France. The 30-year-old rallied from a set down in both his semi-final and final matches, escaping Daniil Glinka 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the championship match.

<img alt=”Billy Harris wins his first Challenger title.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/08/00/35/harris-cassisch-2025.jpg” />
^{Billy Harris wins his first Challenger title. Credit: Cassis Open Provence by Cabesto}

Harris nearly cracked the Top 100 last September, reaching a career-high No. 101. He held his nerve in his third Challenger final to climb 15 spots to World No. 136.

Italian Giulio Zeppieri did not drop a set all week to win the Road to the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 23-year-old, broken three times all tournament, defeated Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(2), 7-5 in the final, during which Zeppieri hammered 17 aces. The lefty is a three-time Challenger champion.

Marco Trungelliti claimed his second title of the season and fifth overall at the NÖ Open powered by EVN in Tulln, Austria. Like Zeppieri, Trungelliti did not drop a set and was broken just three times for the tournament. The fifth seed downed Czech Andrew Paulson 7-5, 6-1 in the final.

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'Playing perfectly' – how does Alcaraz rank v men's tennis legends at 22?

BBC Sport explores Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning record compared to tennis’ biggest legends in the men’s game after his sixth Grand Slam triumph.

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How Casper Ruud used ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF to plot his Madrid final victory

It’s no secret that top ATP Tour players lean on data and statistical analysis to unlock marginal gains, and Casper Ruud did exactly that to claim the biggest title of his career at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid in May.

Ahead of his championship-match clash with Jack Draper, the Norwegian turned to ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF, using the platform to study his opponent’s game and spot recurring patterns in his clay-court play. By digging into Draper’s tactical tendencies, Ruud arrived on court with a clear plan and the confidence to execute it under pressure.

“His typical left-handed approach to the clay game is penetrating your opponent’s backhand with [the] forehand,” Ruud said of Draper. “I tried to cover it as good as I can. That was something I really thought about going into the match. I think I was ready for it, which was really important.”

Watch Casper Ruud explain how he uses ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF

ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF is an enhanced performance-analytics platform that delivers richer match data, advanced scouting, video breakdowns, and wearable integration, all in real-time. The tool is now available to more than 2,000 ATP Tour and Challenger Tour players, as well as ATP coaches, bringing elite-level analysis within reach across the professional game.

By providing insights into opponents’ tendencies, tactical patterns, and real-time physical metrics, it empowers players to refine preparation, adapt strategy mid-match, and elevate overall development. Read more about the platform here.

For 13-time ATP Tour champion and former World No. 2 Ruud, the value of the innovative platform is clear.

“It’s really cool how you can actually see it on a screen, statistic-wise,” Ruud said of the platform. “It’s really cool that you can compare yourself to yourself, and also the rest of the Tour.

“The one thing you can have a really clear vision of is your opponent’s serve. I find it helpful using [the platform] to see where my opponents typically like to serve on pressure points. If your gut feeling matches what the Tennis IQ platform says about a player, then I know I’m onto something and I will dive deeper.”

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Alcaraz withdraws from Davis Cup Qualifiers R2

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup second-round qualifier against Denmark, which will take place in Valencia from 12-13 September, due to fatigue.

The 22-year-old Spaniard defeated fierce rival Jannik Sinner in the US Open final on Sunday and simultaneously sealed his return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since September 2023. Alcaraz owns a 5-1 career record at the Davis Cup, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, having made his debut in 2022.

Jaume Munar, Roberto Carballes Baena and Pablo Carreno Busta have replaced Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina — who has also pulled out — in Team Spain’s lineup, which is led by captain David Ferrer.

Holger Rune headlines Denmark’s lineup, which also includes Elmer Moeller, August Holmgren, Christian Sigsgaard and Johannes Ingildsen.

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