Carlos Alcaraz makes 'not funny' admission after Jannik Sinner beats him to $6M
Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by Jannik Sinner in the final of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, with the Italian producing a dominant display to secure a 6-2, 6-4 win
Carlos Alcaraz confessed it is "not funny" to go up against Jannik Sinner following his defeat to the Italian in the Six Kings Slam final, collecting huge prize money in the process.
On Saturday, Sinner relied on an enhanced serve to produce a masterful display as he claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in Riyadh. The triumph came after Novak Djokovic withdrew following just one set in the third-place playoff.
Although the Six Kings Slam is an exhibition event and won't impact rankings or head-to-head statistics, Sinner was still seeking payback after falling to the Spaniard in the US Open final. He prevailed in commanding fashion to guarantee he heads into the ATP Finals with momentum.
It represented a crucial victory for Sinner, whose triumph over Alcaraz at Wimbledon stands as his sole success against the world No. 1 in their previous eight official encounters. Alcaraz heaped praise on his opponent, who collected $6 million in prize money.
The pair maintain an amicable bond, but when questioned whether he relishes battling Sinner when the Italian is performing at peak level, Alcaraz responded: "Not really. Sometimes it seems like he's playing ping pong. It's not funny being on the other side of the net."
Alcaraz continued: "I always say that when he plays such great tennis, it gives me motivation to go to the practice court, give my 100%, try to be better. It's kind of a mix. Sometimes he's annoying, but at the same time, he gives me extra motivation."
Sinner recognized his display in the Six Kings Slam final was exceptionally impressive, revealing he wished he "could play like this everywhere."
The 24 year old confessed he constantly thinks about enhancing his game for future battles against Alcaraz.
"You think a lot about that," Sinner said. "That's exactly why you need Carlos and many other players... to keep improving, to keep looking up to... certain players.. especially for me, this is Carlos. Because especially this season, we played many times.. I lost many times against Carlos.
"It's a huge pleasure and honor to share the court with him. At the same time, you want to get better as a tennis player. You need rivalries. It's nice to have a great rivalry.. more importantly a great friendship off court. We have a very, very special friendship. It's very nice."
When the on-court interviewer noted the post-match courtesies were especially heartwarming, Alcaraz was questioned whether he sends Sinner congratulatory texts following major victories. The world No.1 grinned and revealed: "Yes, sometimes.
"A few times I wrote him just to see how he's doing. To congratulate him. Like he said, we have a special relationship and friendship off the court. Not only the on court rivalry.. people might think when two players are competing for great things, they can't have a great friendship off court. We show that it's possible as well."