"Go get the title," when Alcaraz wished for Sinner's triumph in Miami after their 2023 semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are currently the two best players in the world and have truly taken control of the ATP circuit for several years now.

In fact, they faced each other in three Grand Slam finals this year, with the Spaniard winning twice, including an epic 5-hour and 30-minute match at Roland-Garros. In 2023, during the semi-finals of the Miami Masters 1000, the rivalry between the two men was still budding.

For several months, Alcaraz was the world number 1 (the youngest in the Open era) after winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open 2022. Meanwhile, Sinner was progressing steadily and arrived in Florida as the 10th seed.

At the time, this was the sixth encounter between the two future tennis stars. Alcaraz led with 3 wins to 2 but came in with the pressure of defending his title after his triumph against Casper Ruud a year earlier, his first in that tournament category at the time.

But Sinner delivered a high-level performance to frustrate his opponent (6-7, 6-4, 6-2 in 3h01), hitting more winners and committing fewer unforced errors than Alcaraz.

At the net, during the handshake, the latter, displaying sportsmanship, expressed his wish to see the Italian win the final: "Go get the title, I'm rooting for you," Alcaraz whispered to his rival at the net.

However, Sinner, 21 at the time, lost the Miami Masters 1000 final for the second time, having previously been defeated by Hubert Hurkacz in 2021. This time, it was Daniil Medvedev who bested the Italian (7-5, 6-3).

It was the Russian's 6th victory against Sinner in as many encounters. Since then, things have changed significantly. Sinner leads 8-7 against the 2021 US Open winner and occupied the world number one spot between June 2024 and September 2025.

Sinner's defeat in the Miami final two years ago was only a temporary setback, as he went on to win his first Masters 1000 a few months later in Canada against Alex De Minaur. He added three more in 2024 (Miami, Cincinnati, and Shanghai).

Regarding the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry, it has only evolved. Alcaraz is ahead (10 wins to 5), having won seven of their last eight encounters.

Their last six matches took place in finals (Beijing 2024, Rome 2025, Roland-Garros 2025, Wimbledon 2025, Cincinnati 2025, and US Open 2025), and the two men seem to have widened the gap, at least in terms of skill level, compared to the rest of the circuit.