Carlos Alcaraz, after three consecutive successes this year, lost the first direct clash against the ATP number 1 Jannik Sinner.
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A less bitter defeat for having occurred during an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, which assigned a very rich and historic prize pool ($6 million) for the winner, without repercussions on the ATP rankings and on the head-to-heads themselves.
"I wanted it to end in the best way, I enjoyed every second here. I will continue to train and work to be at this level, I am sure that Jannik will continue to do the same. It was a very hard-fought match, every time I faced Jannik we played a high-quality match. Our challenges were decided in small details, I probably should have played more aggressively and not waited for his mistakes. I would say it was my decision. When you play against Jannik, you have to be at 100%, I try to hit as hard as I can, super aggressively. In every practice I think about it, getting to the net as soon as possible, playing great shots and serves, it's something I work on every day," said the young Spaniard, who then detailed his battles against Jannik:
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"All our matches are very complicated and very tough. This pushes me to the limit. I know that I have to play my best tennis if I want to beat him. As a tennis player I love these kind of battles, but sometimes I prefer it to be simpler. He makes me a better player. I hope this rivalry gets better 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 the limit to improve, giving 100% every day. It is always a pleasure to share the court with him, even if sometimes it is difficult to have fun."
Alcaraz and Sinner after The Six Kings Slam final
After receiving the trophy in Riyadh, the Italian champion said: "I had a lot of fun here, thank you for making this new event possible, it was a beautiful experience and I will definitely come back in the future if there is the opportunity. Carlos and I push each other to the limit, said the 2024 Australian Open and US Open champion, we wake up in the morning trying to find solutions and new ways to beat each other.
He pushes me to get to 100%. We understand each other well, we travel a lot, we are friends, we like to share and we try to have fun. So far many of our matches have been excellent, almost all of them. Let's hope this rivalry lasts as long as possible and we will see what happens in the future. We came here to show what tennis is, we always try to do our best. Thanks to the crowd for coming here, it was an incredible atmosphere from day one. We can't wait to come back."
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Carlitos explained at the end of the match: "It was a great week in Saudi Arabia even if it didn't end the way I wanted. I enjoyed every moment I was here, I didn't have many opportunities to see Riyadh much but it was a pleasure for me to be in this country. Thanks to Sinner I go on court every day to improve. I will try in every way to be there, I try to do my best every day and I will try to do everything to make this rivalry better and better.
I'm happy that Jannik is on the tour because thanks to him I go on court every day to improve. Sometimes it doesn't always go well during the matches but that's tennis. Thanks to those who made this event possible that was held this year with the best in the world. I hope to be here again soon."
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