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Jannik Sinner claimed that his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz was inferior to the Spaniard\u2019s duel with Novak Djokovic. The Italian has contested multiple exciting, close matches with the world No 2, and their rivalry has already been likened to the one between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. But Sinner has taken a step back, claiming that Alcaraz was too far ahead for the pair to be opponents and hailing his contests with Djokovic.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz and Sinner have long been touted as two of the biggest young stars in men\u2019s tennis, with the duo tipped to carry the sport when players like Djokovic and Nadal eventually retire. They have already met six times on the tour with their head-to-head tied at 3-3 – including an epic US Open quarter-final in 2022 that lasted more than five hours which was won by Alcaraz.<\/p>\n
Juan Martin del Potro had previously called them \u201cthe Federer-Nadal of the next few years\u201d\u00a0and Alcaraz has always been happy to discuss his duels with Sinner. But the man himself believes that he hasn\u2019t done enough yet to be in a real rivalry with the two-time Grand Slam champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, at the moment it’s tough to talk about this rivalry because I feel he has won so many things at the moment,\u201d the world No 7 said ahead of the China Open. \u201cI think at the moment he’s still a better player, no? He has shown this. He was No 1 in the world already couple of times. I think at the moment the biggest rivalry is him and Novak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Djokovic feels the nerves as tennis GOAT faces F1 star in Ryder Cup celeb match[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n While Sinner thought the Alcaraz vs Djokovic rivalry was currently more important, he still knew that he had contested some epic battles with the 20-year-old so early on in their careers. He continued:\u00a0 \u201cBut in the other way, for sure every time when we play against, it’s a really good match. I think we both show the best out of ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n And the 22-year-old was hoping to put himself in a position to be on-par with Alcaraz, who already has two Major titles to his name. \u201cAt the moment I’m very focused about myself because I have to improve also physically because I feel like I have a lot of potential physically,\u201d Sinner added.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> \u201cThat’s also the reason why I played much less tournaments this year than last year, because I have to prepare the body to win the big tournaments.\u00a0 It’s going to be a question what will be answered in the future, no? I would be happy to be the rivalry of Carlos, for sure. I feel like that I have the potential to do it. But let’s see.\u00a0 It’s all about the future. We can’t say what’s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Although he doesn\u2019t want to brand it a rivalry, Sinner could well meet Alcaraz at this week\u2019s China Open. The pair are in the same half of the draw and would face off in the semi-final if they both made it there. But the field in Beijing is brutal, with eight of the world\u2019s top 10 competing.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4981502.jpg?r=1695821804479\")
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Murray has shot at redemption at China Open after three-month wait for revenge[ANALYSIS] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4981498.jpg?r=1695821804739\")
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