Alcaraz-Sinner tennis rivalry is all the hype before Australian Open 2026

Alcaraz-Sinner tennis rivalry is all the hype before Australian Open 2026 Alcaraz and Sinner give a glimpse of their relationship and enthrall fans in South Korea before the Grand Slam season. Seoul, South Korea - Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner walked into an all-white hall dressed as the physical embodiment of yin and yang. Sinner, in all black, and Alcaraz, in a white top and black bottoms, were greeted with thunderous applause at the Hyundai Card headquarters in Seoul last week. While their contrasting styles of play and on-court demeanour make the tennis rivals stand out as a modern-day example of the famous Chinese philosophy, the two superstars had plenty in common as they shared wide smiles and looks of astonishment in front of a large contingent of reporters, photographers and close to 100 employees in the South Korean capital. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Tennis: Amateur stuns Sinner to win 1m in ‘One Point Slam’ in Melbourne list 2 of 4 ‘Cardinal sin’: Why was Alonso sacked by Real Madrid, and who’s Arbeloa? list 3 of 4 ‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighter list 4 of 4 India-Bangladesh tensions rock cricket, as sport turns diplomatic weapon Once seated, Alcaraz turned to his right, glanced at his great rival and mouthed the word “wow”. Great rivalry, good relationship Four years on from their first ATP tour meeting in France, the duo steal the limelight and headlines wherever they go. It’s a far cry from what Alcaraz had imagined when Sinner said, in November 2021, that he hoped to face his opponent in many more matches. “I was sure that we were going to play more [after that match], but probably at the beginning of tournaments - the first, second rounds”, Alcaraz told Al Jazeera in Seoul. The Spaniard believes that over the years, the pair has “pushed each other to be better” and helped each other reach a level where their meetings are usually reserved for the tail-end of major tournaments. “It is a gift that we are playing in the semifinals, the finals in the majors, in the biggest tournaments of the world,” Alcaraz said. “Having a look back, seeing everything we have achieved ... we both pushed each other to be better, to be 100 percent [at our game]. It was a great moment that match, that moment we had at the net, and everything we’ve been through over the years”. “Sincaraz” - as Alcaraz and Sinner have come to be known - have dominated the men’s tour for two years, splitting the sport’s biggest titles and trading the No 1 rank between themselves. When asked to recall his thoughts from their meeting in Paris, where their rivalry first began, Sinner responded with modesty. “When I said that ‘I hope we can play some more matches,’ it was more of a hope for me because I was very sure [Carlos] would arrive at the stage where he...

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