Carlos Alcaraz may make his Tokyo debut this week while Jannik Sinner is fighting in Beijing, but the Spaniard cannot help to study their growing rivalry.
After the overthrow of Sinner in the US Open final, Alcaraz expanded his Lexus ATP Head2head to 10-5 and won seven of their last eight collisions. That loss cost sinner the number 1 place in the PIF ATP ranking and also brought the Italian to point out changes. Alcaraz, however, believes that he is still one step ahead.
“I know he’s going to change,” said Alcaraz about Sinner during a press conference for tournament in Tokyo. “He’s going to change something from the last game. It’s the same when I lost him a few times. I tried to become a better player. The next time I will face him, so I expect that he does the same to change a few things to be ready 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 will be better for me and for tennis. We will see in the future how often I will play against him and in what circumstances we would play. But I think it’s going great now. ”
It has been a dominant year for Alcaraz. With a tour leading 62 victories and seven trophies this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he has only removed four wins from darkening his personal count of 65 victories from 2023.
He is also the running leader in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin and is very useful to claim his second ATP end at the end of the year 1, presented by PIF Finish. Despite his success, Alcaraz trivialized every conversation about chasing the ‘Greatest All Time’ label.
“It is something that is not in my mind at the moment,” said Alcaraz when he was asked about his goal 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 is not something I think about now. I have already achieved great things in just 22 years.
“I already know that, but in the future I don’t know how many things or how many tournaments I will achieve. So I think it’s something I have to take care of every day about the details about everything that practices well and we will see in the future. I think nobody knows the future.
That journey will take place this week on the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where Alcaraz wants to become a member of 12 colleague ATP no. 1 club members who have bothered in Tokyo.
Last year last year, Alcaraz Sinner defeated the Beijing trophy in an exciting final, but in 2025 he chose to compete for the first time at the ATP 500 in Tokyo. He faces Sebastian Baez in his opener on Thursday and was able to meet Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
“I know it is a great tournament. I know the players who played this tournament before and the players who won this tournament before,” said Alcaraz. “I just really wanted to come here, play great tennis, perform well and try to win the trophy. That is why I am just here to feel great on the field, giving me the chance to win the trophy to win the tournament.
“At the end of the week I just want to place my name next to the former champions that I know is an honor to be next to those names.”
Tokyo’s Honor 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.
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