"I don't think Sinner was affected by his losses to Alcaraz," Lopez discusses tennis' new great rivalry

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now dominate world tennis. Feliciano Lopez discusses the new rivalry that will leave its mark on this sport in the years to come.

After the Big 3 who significantly marked tennis history for twenty years, the new big names in the coming years will be Alcaraz and Sinner. The two have definitively taken over from Djokovic, Nadal and Federer and have together won the last eight Grand Slam tournaments since the start of the 2024 season.

The two have faced each other in the finals of the last three Majors, with two victories for the Spaniard and one for the Italian. In any case, Feliciano Lopez appreciates both players and discussed their recent clashes.

"I don't think Sinner was affected by his defeats against Alcaraz. The matches between them are very different from others they play against the rest of the players.

Many people were surprised by the course of the US Open final after an epic final in Paris and another good final at Wimbledon where Sinner had dominated. At the US Open, Carlitos delivered a spectacular performance and was very convincing, while Sinner was somewhat surprised by Carlos' game in that final.

I don't think this defeat affected Sinner in the tournaments he played afterwards. Both players are aware that they must continue to improve to bring out the best in themselves when they face each other, because they are very demanding of one another.

Every match between Sinner and Alcaraz is at a higher level and you notice the small improvements they make. Sinner won in Beijing, then he withdrew in Shanghai due to cramps and fatigue from playing in such difficult conditions.

We'll see by the end of the season how each will respond, but I find both in very good form, perhaps Carlos with a bit more confidence given that he's barely lost any matches since April," Lopez assured AS.