Sinner (right) is inspiring Alcaraz to take his game to the next level Sinner (right) is inspiring Alcaraz to take his game to the next level Carlos Alcaraz says his ongoing rivalry with Jannik Sinner is inspiring the Spaniard to "practise even harder every day". (More Sports News)
The pair shared the four grand slam titles between them last season; Alcaraz winning the French Open and Wimbledon, while Sinner triumphed at the Australian Open and US Open.
Meanwhile, the Spaniard won all three of their ATP Tour meetings in 2024, including their semi-final showdowns at Roland-Garros and Indian Wells.
And Alcaraz acknowledged his battles with the world number one are spurring him on to take his game to the next level.
"When I'm playing against him, I have [a] different mindset, a little bit," the four-time major winner said.
"When you're facing the best players or the best player in the world, you have to do something different, different preparation, or different mindset.
"When I'm facing him, I just know that I have to play my best if I want to win. That's it. Probably, if I have a bad day against Jannik, it's 99% likely that you're going to lose. That's what is in my mind every time that I'm going to play against him.
"The good thing for me is when I'm seeing him winning titles, when I'm seeing him at the top of the rankings, [it] forces me to practise even harder every day.
"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 such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day."
Australian Open order of play - RLA, JCA, MCA - Monday 13 JanuaryFull schedule at https://t.co/CiKpzhWL6I #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/T64dYlyuRJ
jili online— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2025Alcaraz cannot meet Sinner until the final of this fortnight's Australian Open, where he will complete the career grand slam by going all the way to glory.
The 21-year-old has his sights set on adding to his silverware collection, while eventually reclaiming top spot in the ATP rankings.
"For me, the goal is to try to win grand slams, Masters 1000s," he added. "Those, for me, [are] the most important tournaments in the world.
"Obviously, the ranking is up there in the goals, as well, trying to get as close as I can to Jannik [Sinner] or try to pass [Alexander] Zverev as well.
Starting the tournament as clear favourites, Paris Olympics bronze-medallists India haven't disappointed so far, beating hosts China 3-0, Japan 5-1, trouncing Malaysia 8-1 before registering a 3-1 victory against Korea in their last match.
"The ranking is there. But mainly [the] thing for me is grand slams10jili, trying to win as many grand slams as I can."