By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS (Reuters) -Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era and is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers.
Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th Grand Slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies.
The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet.
With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis’ Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz.
“It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest,” Sinner told reporters.
“For sure, from my point of view, he’s a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him.
“I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know.”
Sunday’s clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time that Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title.
Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry that he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray.
“At the moment, that’s hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion,” Djokovic added.
“But they’re definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs.”
Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport.
“He’s a player with charisma, with that aura,” Sinner said.
“The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that’s exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better.
“In the end, it’s exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Julien Pretot in Paris; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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