Sinner and Alcaraz recently spoke with CNN, cited by Eurosport, during the ATP Finals in Turin. They talked about their journey since they met for the first time five years ago. The current world number one stated that he knew of Alcaraz’s special talent since he faced him for the first time. Sinner also revealed that, after the game, he went into the locker room to get to know Alcaraz better.
“I saw the painting and I saw Carlos Alcaraz, I had no idea who he was,” Sinner said. “I saw his age and I said to myself: wow, he’s playing a Challenger [el nivel de torneos por debajo del ATP Tour]it’s amazing. I was immediately impressed. After the game we went to the locker room because I wanted to meet him. “In his day he already had incredible talent, you could see right away that he was a special player.”
Both players already consider themselves heirs to the original “Big Four” of men’s tennis, in which four players – the Serbian Novak Djokovic, the Spanish Rafael Nadal, the Swiss Roger Federer and the British Andy Murray – dominated men’s tennis for much of the last two decades. Both Sinner and Alcaraz affirm that they do not think too far into the future in their professional careers. They also think that it is not fair to compare them to legendary tennis stars.
“It’s not comparable to what the big three have done, and also the big four with Andy [Murray]. There has been a period in which these four were always in the semifinals. For my part, I have only done one season like this. They did it in fifteen or twenty years, I don’t think it’s comparable at all”: “Probably people, seeing the results of the last two years, will think that we are going to be the next two to dominate the game, but right now I see for many players, the draws are very open.
