Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz now reveals what he was thinking before his first-ever match against Jannik Sinner

Originally posted on HITC | By Peter Lynch | Last updated Jan 20, 2026 5:07 PM ET

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have played out a thrilling rivalry on the ATP Tour despite their relatively brief careers so far.

Alcaraz and Sinner could meet once again at the Australian Open, but only at the very last stage of the Grand Slam.

The two ATP superstars met in three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2025, with Alcaraz winning two out of three.

But the pair have enjoyed equal success on the biggest stage in recent times, each winning four of the last eight Grand Slam titles.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz was ready for ‘tough’ first match vs Jannik Sinner

It is a fantastic rivalry that started out all the way back in 2019, when Alcaraz beat Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Alicante.

Now looking back on that round of 64 clash, the Spaniard told Tennis Channel: “First of all at the beginning of the match I do remember when I saw I had to play Jannik.

“He was coming up. I think he won like three or four Futures in a row, and I remember ‘Okay, this is going to be tough’.

“Obviously, I didn’t know anything about him. I think he didn’t know anything about me, or not that much. But I remember it was a lot of ups and downs in the match. I win the first set playing really good tennis.

“Then the second set, it was break up or something and then he came back and won the second set really easily.

“And the third set was… always ups and downs in the match. But it was on clay. It was my favorite at that time. I was more used to playing on clay, which was great for me, for the first match, for the first meeting.

“We play like almost the same style, but obviously, like 10 steps forward right now. But I think we trust in our tennis all the time, and we’ve been developing our style through the years.”

Carlos Alcaraz shares advice for his 15-year-old self

Alcaraz was also tasked with the tricky challenge of hypothetically going back in time to advise his 15-year-old self.

He pondered: “I would say he has to take care of all the things off the court. Just be better on that. Like, everything you do off the court, it can be reflected on the court. I remember at that time I didn’t trust that.”