Carlos Alcaraz explains why he 'won't go for dinner' with Jannik Sinner after latest clash

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner faced off for the 17th time over the weekend, with Sinner prevailing to win the Monte Carlo Masters and return to No. 1 in the world. But there were no hard feelings between the two rivals, and Alcaraz happily congratulated Sinner during his runner-up speech, then turned up to watch the Italian complete his victorious pool jump, standing nearby and filming it on his phone.

A video of the Spanish star watching and recording Sinner’s dive went viral in the tennis world, with some questioning whether their rivalry was too friendly and needed some extra spice. And Alcaraz has now opened up on their off-court relationship, admitting that, while there is plenty of respect between them, they still wouldn’t “go for dinner” together.

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“Jannik and I have a very good relationship. It's not like we go out to dinner together, but both he and his team are wonderful people,” the world No. 2 said just one day after losing to Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final.

“Beyond what we fight for on the court, our personalities off the court aren't going to change. And that's shown in the respect we have for each other. After the final, I was walking to my room, and I saw him jump, and I stayed to watch the moment.

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“I have great admiration for him, and it's a good way to show the world that, even though we have a rivalry on the court, we can be good people and have a good relationship.”

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While Sinner takes a well-deserved break after winning Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo back-to-back-to-back, Alcaraz is already back in action at this week’s Barcelona Open, where he is a two-time former champion. The world No. 2 faces qualifier Otto Virtanen in his opening match, but has had little time to prepare following his 7-6(5) 6-3 defeat to Sinner on Sunday.

It was something of a surprise loss for Alcaraz, who is more comfortable on the clay than world No. 1 Sinner. Alcaraz was the reigning champion in Monte Carlo and also beat Sinner to win the Italian Open and French Open last year. But he’s well aware that the Italian has stepped it up on the dirt and will be a formidable force this clay season.

Alcaraz added: “I'm happy to see Jannik improving. He's said the clay court season isn't his favourite, and I'm glad because he's the player who pushes me to be better, makes me stop and think so I can improve, try to beat him, and I'm happy he's making giant strides on this surface. When we face each other, there's no favourite regardless of the court.”

While Alcaraz relishes the challenge of facing Sinner, he’s also glad that the four-time Major champion isn’t in Barcelona this week. “It's a relief not to face him in every tournament,” he confessed.

“But he's one of the players who pushes me to be better, who makes me aware of my weaknesses and where I need to focus in every training session and every match. I certainly won't miss him this week.”

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