Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner show great mutual respect

Fans and insiders expected Jannik Sinner to win Montreal Masters 1000The world number 1 wanted to defend his title won in Canada in 2023, but his run came to a halt in the quarter-finals against a major Andrei Rublev.

The Italian – who was forced to Olympic Games in Paris due to tonsillitis – did not seem 100% fit and made far more unforced errors than usual. The 2024 Australian Open champion said it will take some time to get back on his feet and that we will hardly see him at the top this week in Cincinnati. Sinner was knocked out in the second round in Ohio by Dusan Lajovic, so he can play quite well this week. Jannik’s big goal is to US Openwhich will take place in New York at the end of this month.

The young Italian is keen to finish the season at the top of the ATP rankings, but he will have to be especially careful Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic has a very busy schedule and is no longer interested in this goal, while the Spaniard has become a threat after winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the past two months.

Alcaraz and Sinner are friends

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will meet each other often in the coming years and have already played a number of memorable matches, but their friendship has remained unchanged.

Sinner ✌️ Alcaraz

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— TennisTV (@TennisTV) August 12, 2024

The two young champions met on one of the practice courts in Cincinnati and showed respect for each other. Fans and tournament organizers hope that the Spanish and Italians will be in the final next Monday.

While Alcaraz’s level has risen in the last two months, Sinner has had some physical problems. The Italian ace had to miss the Olympic Games in Paris and did not seem to be in top form last week in Montreal.I feel pretty good. Obviously I didn’t practice for almost a week, before and after playing two, three days in a row, a little bit more than normal, (that) could have had a potential impact on the hip,” he explained during the press conference.

“But I’m not afraid. I feel good with my hip and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court here. This year I felt that because I played well, also in Paris, Roland Garros, and knowing that the Olympics are there, I can play well on that court or quite well, and that I try to give myself a chance for medals. But sometimes you have to accept it.

Of course, you also think now that you missed this because you wanted to prepare for it. But it’s all part of the sport and I also have to be happy with what I have, not always look at the negative things. I believe my season is going very, very positively and we continue to build on that” – Sinner added.

The ATP race is uncertain

The tournament in Cincinnati could allow Alcaraz to overtake Sinner in the ATP race. If Carlitos wins the tournament in Ohio, he must hope that the Italian does not get further than the semi-finals. If Jannik reaches the final (with the final victory of Alcaraz), the Italian remains in first place in the ATP Race with a 100-point lead. If the Spaniard loses in the final, he must hope that Jannik does not get further than the eighth finals. If the Italian loses in the quarter-finals, Alcaraz and Sinner have exactly the same points.

The four-time Grand Slam champion wants to return as world No. 1 this year: “Of course, being No. 1 is a goal every time I’m (behind) and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you finish the race as No. 1, in the rankings (it’s) quite similar, so you’re going to finish No. 1.

I’m fighting to be number 1 in the racethat’s something I really want to do as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future, this is a very important tournament, a very good tournament for me. So I’m going to try to play good tennis, try to play the same level as I played, and let’s see.”

The Spanish ace thinks he can play even better: “I played great tennis, but I probably won most of my matches, I won them without playing great tennisor I felt like I wasn’t really playing great tennis, so the way I approach every match keeps me mentally strong in certain situations, I’m really, really happy about that.”