Tennis - Australian Open - Press Conference - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 11, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open REUTERS/Edgar Su
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Four-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz said having a rival like world number one Jannik Sinner was good for his game as it pushes him to be at his best every time he walks on court.
Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles last year while Sinner claimed the Australian Open and U.S. Open trophies as the pair heralded a new era for the men's game by shutting out 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
"When you face the best player in the world, you have to do something different, different preparation, or have a different mindset," said Alcaraz, who won all three of his matches against Sinner last year to improve his head-to-head record to 6-4.
"If I have a bad day against Jannik, it's 99% that I'm going to lose. That's what is in my mind every time I'm going to play against him," the world number three added.
Alcaraz, 21, is bidding to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday. Reclaiming the top ranking is another goal for the Spaniard.
"The good thing for me is when I'm seeing him winning titles, when I'm seeing him at the top of the ranking, it forces me to practice harder every day," Alcaraz told reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
"In practice, I'm just thinking about the things that I have to improve to play against him.
"That I think is great for me, having him, have such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day."
Alcaraz begins his Australian Open campaign against Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
