PARIS – Three or more consecutive wins are often enough to spark jokes on the tennis tour.
“If someone beats you three times in a row, they’re your daddy”, Ben Shelton joked earlier this year, relieved that Lorenzo Musetti didn’t become his ‘father’ at the 2025 Australian Open after winning their previous two encounters.
The rivalry that defines Gen Z tennis—Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner—has entered a phase of “paternity” from the Spaniard’s side. Alcaraz has now defeated Sinner four times in a row—most recently in a memorable escenario: the final in Rome, at a Masters 1000 event, marking Sinner’s return after a doping suspension.
El vigente campeón.
El nº1 de mundo.El reencuentro en #RolandGarros entre Alcaraz y Sinner. ¿Se verán por primera vez en una final de Grand Slam? 👀 pic.twitter.com/xNq9qWwf4u
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) May 23, 2025
“I’m sure that next time we face each other, Jannik will make adjustments, he’ll improve. That’s what makes our rivalry so special—our matches are very tactical,” said the current champion in Boulogne-Billancourt, who leads the head-to-head 7–4.
At the 2025 edition of Roland Garros, looking at the men’s singles draw has many dreaming of a historic showdown on Sunday, June 8: Alcaraz vs. Sinner, facing off for the first time in a Grand Slam final.
“I know I won’t beat him every time,” said the clear favourite, in outstanding clay-court form after winning in Rome, lifting the trophy in Monte Carlo, and reaching the final in Barcelona.
“I’m also going to try to improve to beat him next time. That’s how it goes—just like with the Big 3. Rafa had streaks against Djokovic, many against Federer, and then vice versa. I have to be ready; I won’t win every match.”
Sinner, the undisputed world number one despite a three-month suspension for testing positive for clostebol, holds an impressive 85–3 record against the rest of his rivals. Interestingly, since becoming number one, he has never beaten Alcaraz.
“Every time I face him, it’s a mental, tactical, and physical battle at the highest level. You have to be prepared for whatever happens,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, one big title ahead the Italian, who has yet to reach a major final outside hard courts.
