Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he thought about beating Jannik Sinner while practising (Image: Getty)
has confessed that lives “in his head” when practising.
The young champions have already formed an exciting rivalry and split the Grand Slams between them last year.
They could now take it to the next level at the , where they are on a collision course for their first Major final showdown.
Aged just 21 and 23 respectively, Alcaraz and Sinner have already faced off 10 times in their young careers. Both are multi-Grand Slam champions and have been ranked at No. 1 in the world.
The Spaniard leads their head-to-head by six wins to four, winning all three matches they played in 2024. But they have still never faced off on the biggest stage in the sport – a Grand Slam final.
The closest they got was last year’s French Open semi-final. But they could finally get the chance to play for a Major crown at Melbourne Park this fortnight.
Sinner and Alcaraz are in opposite halves of the draw, putting them on a path to a potential showdown in the championship match. If they get there, the Spaniard wants to be ready.
Jannik Sinner is the reigning champion at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
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Ahead of the tournament, world No. 3 Alcaraz revealed that he was motivated seeing Sinner lift trophies and dominate the sport.
“Probably if I have a bad day against Jannik, it’s 99 per cent that you are going to lose,” the four-time Major winner said.
“That’s what is in my mind every time I’m going to play against him. The good thing for me is when I am seeing him win titles, when I’m seeing him at the top of the ranking, it forces me to practice even harder every day.”
Alcaraz has been training with a goal in mind, admitting that he often thought about Sinner and how to beat him during training sessions.
He added: “In practice, I’m just thinking about the things that I have to improve to play against him. That I think is great for me, having him, having such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day.”
It’s not the first time Alcaraz has been motivated by one of his rivals. At the end of the 2023 season, when overtook him in the rankings and won three of the four Majors, the 21-year-old said he was always thinking about the Serb and the No. 1 ranking.
During the Asian swing that year, Alcaraz said: “Right now he is No. 1, so I come here with extra motivation to try to get him back and place first in the race, as well as in the rankings. Like I said, it’s something that I keep in mind every time I’m training, I think about it in every tournament.”
However, Djokovic retained the top spot and finished the 2023 season as the year-end No. 1. Alcaraz will be hoping his focus on Sinner doesn’t backfire in the same way.
The Spaniard is also bidding to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at this year’s . He has already lifted trophies at the French Open, and US Open.