Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz admits his rivalry with world No.1 Jannik Sinner was driving him to new levels on the eve of the Australian Open.
The No.3 seed won both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in 2024 but finished the year behind Sinner in the world rankings after the Italian won the Australian Open and US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts in his charity match against Alex de Minaur ahead of the Australian Open on Wednesday evening.Credit: Getty Images
Alcaraz will begin his campaign at Melbourne Park against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko in the opening round on Monday.
“When I’m playing against him, I have a different mindset,” Alcaraz said.
“When you are facing the best player in the world, you have to do something different.
“Different preparation, mindset, whatever. When I play him, I know I have to play my best if I want to win. If I have a bad day against him, it’s 99 per cent chance you are going to lose.
“When I see him win titles or be top of the rankings, it forces me to work harder and focus on the things I have to improve to.
“Having such a great rivalry so far, it brings out the best from me.”
Alcaraz has also changed his service motion ahead of the 2025 season, and he hopes it will give him better rhythm and precision as he chases more grand slams and the chance to take the top ranking from Sinner.
“[I have a] good rhythm – before the biggest issue I had was with rhythm,” Alcaraz said.
“With this one, I will have a good rhythm and hit in the right spot every time. I need to fix the precision, be more precise, and a good rhythm will help a lot.”
More to come.
Watch all the Australian Open action live on Nine, 9Now and Stan from Sunday, January 12.
