Carlos Alcaraz secured a narrow victory over Jannik Sinner to win the China Open (Image: SKY SPORTS)
overlooked by describing as the best player on the planet after beating him in the China Open final. The Spaniard pulled out all the stops to defeat his rival in three sets and claim the trophy for the very first time.
Sinner took the first set despite nursing an apparent injury, having been spotted touching his knee and showing signs of discomfort. Alcaraz went on to level up in the second before edging the third set with seven straight points in the decisive tiebreak.
It saw Alcaraz extend his impressive recent record against Sinner, having beaten him at Indian Wells and the French Open earlier this year.
The young Spaniard was forced to dig deep in the decisive third-set tiebreak (Image: GETTY)
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Speaking after the match, the reigning champion suggested his Italian rival had surpassed Djokovic as the undisputed number one in men’s tennis.
“He could win in two, I could win in two, he could win in three, I mean, it was a really close match,” said Alcaraz. “He showed that he is the best player in the world, at least for me.
“The level he is playing at is unbelievable, really high quality of tennis. Physically and mentally, he is a beast. I had my chances in the first set but didn’t make it. I’m proud of myself with how I played the match and managed everything.
“To be able to come back has been really good. I’m really happy. I gave myself the chance to keep going and play aggressively and I’m really happy that I made it.
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“I never lost hope but I thought: ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try and give myself an opportunity to be close’. I played great points and just thought to go for it, at least if I lost I would have went for it.”
Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam in 2024, with the Serb enduring a muted year by his own high standards despite claiming Olympic gold. Sinner, meanwhile, tasted glory at the Australian Open before following up with another triumph at the US Open.
It remains to be seen if Djokovic will be able to put himself back in the conversation with a fast start in 2025. At the moment, he is no longer the unstoppable force he once was with Sinner and Alcaraz having emerged as the sport’s dominant figures.