Carlos Alcaraz had a great time this week in Saudi Arabia, where six top players participated in the first edition of the 'Six Kings Slam'. The winner of the event was world number 1 Jannik Sinner, who defeated Alcaraz in a spectacular final. After winning the first set at the tiebreak, the Spanish ace lowered his level and the very fast surface helped Janniks style of play. The two-time Grand Slam champion was objectively superior in the second and third sets, winning his first match against Carlitos in 2024, although this match is not considered in official statistics.
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The rivalry between the Italian and Spanish is certainly going to monopolize the ATP tour for the next 10 or 15 years, having these two players already played some really epic matches. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has had a monstrous consistency this season, having suffered only six defeats since January until today.
Despite having had several ups and downs in 2024, the 23-year-old from Murcia managed to win the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships in the same year again proving to be an absolute phenomenon. The worlds top two players will be resting next week and will return to action in Paris-Bercy for the final Masters 1000 of the season.
Carlitos got angry
Although it was only an exhibition match, Alcaraz and Sinner gave their best and the fans were thrilled by the show offered by these two champions in Saudi Arabia. At the end of the match, the two players exchanged compliments and reiterated how such rivalry can be good for mens tennis in future.
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Immediately after the end of the amazing clash, Carlitos went to greet his team members but he risked being hit by a ball thrown from above by a fan. The ball touched the face of the Spanish champion, who seemed very angry about the incident as you can see in the video.
During the interview at the end of the match, the 4-time Grand Slam champion reflected on his rivalry with Sinner: All our matches are very tough, they are always two very hard sets or three/five sets. They are always very close encounters, he pushes me to the limit. I know I have to bring out my best tennis if I want to beat him. As a tennis player, I love these kinds of battles, but sometimes I prefer it to be easier. He makes me a better player.
He also added: I hope this rivalry improves over the years. I want to say that I am very grateful to have him on the tour, thanks to him I push myself to my limits to improve, giving my 100% every day. It is always a pleasure to share the court with him, although sometimes it is difficult to enjoy."
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Saudi Arabian fans were excited to see this show and several VIPs were present at the stands during this first edition of the event, which is expected to be repeated next year. Alcaraz will take a few days off and then start practicing for the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy, where he has not achieved much results in his previous appearances (he lost to Russian ace Roman Safiullin last year).
A little break
His main goal is obviously the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he reached the semi-finals in the last edition (losing against Serbian Novak Djokovic). After the ATP Finals, the former world number 1 will fly to Malaga to play the Davis Cup Finals, which will be the last official event of a legend like Rafa Nadal.
During the Six Kings Slam, Russian ace Daniil Medvedev made a very interesting comparison between Alcaraz and Sinner: Usually when we compare Carlos to Jannik I would think of Jannik as more consistent, more like a machine, and Carlos a bit more up and down with the flair.
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But when Carlos is on top of his game, I would consider that he is a bit better. But today I changed my opinion. I have never played someone who played like Jannik. If it wasnt an ace, the ball was coming back. I missed some easy shots because at the beginning of the match, I was not missing them but I was receiving passing shots. So then you have this ball and you know you have to go for more and you start to doubt yourself and panic and you miss. It was a tough feeling on the court because I was feeling good, fighting good, my tennis was not so bad and I lost easily. I dont remember the last time that happened to me.
