Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 ATP Finals, giving the Italian another big win in front of his home crowd. But after the match, it wasn’t just tennis that people wanted to talk about.
This was their sixth final against each other this year alone. At this point, these two barely meet anywhere except finals – they’re so far ahead of everyone else that it’s pretty rare to see them face off earlier in tournaments.
Sinner’s only beaten Alcaraz twice this year – at Wimbledon and now at the ATP Finals.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
During the post-match press conference, reporters asked Sinner the usual stuff about his season and his plans for the off-season. But then someone threw him a curveball: Are you actually friends with Alcaraz?
It’s a fair question. These guys are constantly going head-to-head for the biggest prizes in tennis. They’re rivals in every sense of the word. But what’s their relationship like when the cameras aren’t rolling?
The Old Days vs. Now
Sinner gave a pretty thoughtful answer. He said he’d actually talked about this with his coach, Darren Cahill, who played professionally back in the day.
"Well, I feel like we had this conversation a bit with Darren [Cahill]. He used to play back in the day. Players used to go to dinner, have dinner together because the teams were not as big. It was maybe player plus one. You tend to be a bit more together. You open yourself up. You tell stories in the locker room."
Back then, players didn’t travel with huge entourages. It was basically just the player and maybe one coach or support person. So naturally, they’d hang out more, grab dinner together, share stories.
These days? It’s different.
Players travel with bigger teams – coaches, fitness trainers, physios, agents. There’s less of that casual hanging out that used to happen.
Locker Room Politics
But that doesn’t mean friendships don’t exist on tour. Sinner explained that there are still guys he’s closer to than others.
"I still feel it’s a bit like this. You have your more favorite not players but friends in the locker room. You talk a bit in different ways. Of course, I believe that Carlos has great friends and I have great friends, too."
He mentioned that he’s particularly close to Jack Draper and Reilly Opelka. Makes sense – genuine friendships where he feels like the conversations are honest and natural.
"You tend to go a bit more in the national team because it’s normal. You spend more time with Italians. I also have other players I feel very close to: Jack Draper, Reilly Opelka, these kinds of friendships. I feel they’re honest, and you can get along very well."
It’s kind of like any workplace, really. You’re going to be closer to some people than others.
The Alcaraz Situation
So where does that leave Alcaraz? According to Sinner, their relationship is pretty unique because of how often they’re competing against each other for the biggest titles.
"But with Carlos, it is also a bit different because of on-court reasons. We have a very good relationship, rivalry, call it however. I feel like we can talk about everything still. I think it’s great. We are good friends off the court."
The bottom line? They’re friends, but it’s complicated.
When you’re constantly trying to beat someone in the most important matches of your career, that naturally creates a different dynamic. It doesn’t mean they don’t like each other – it just means the friendship has to exist alongside this intense professional rivalry.
"We respect each other in a very healthy way. Also, the teams, my team, get along very well with them. I think it’s a good harmony. At the same time, there’s also the work and all the rest behind, which it’s all about balance."
Even their teams get along well, which probably helps. But Sinner’s right about the balance thing – they have to separate the friendship from the competition.
It’s actually pretty refreshing to hear him be so honest about it. A lot of athletes give generic answers about "respecting their opponents." Sinner actually broke down how modern tennis friendships work and why his relationship with Alcaraz is both genuine and complicated.
With these two likely to keep meeting in finals for years to come, that balance is going to keep being tested. But so far, it seems like they’re handling it pretty well.
