Tennis is just different, but in the best of ways. Whereas some sports, such as the NFL, appear to welcome and like some trash talk on the field and player-to-player on social media, the culture of tennis forces one opponent to be relatively respectful of the other.
There is no better example of this than Carlos Alcaraz's tweet after losing the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner. What made the moment better is the Spaniard's obvious genuineness in what he said. This wasn't just a post-match handshake; this was one player saying the other did a great job.
In the post, Alcaraz wrote, "Congratulations (Jannik Sinner) for your first Wimbledon! Very well deserved!" The exclamation marks giving the whole thing a special touch.
Carlos Alcaraz shows how to lose with class after being beaten by Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon
Alcaraz then went on to thank those in attendance at Wimbledon for their support of him, how special the tournament was, and that he is already looking forward to playing next year. In a world where sports fans have grown accustomed to the loser of an event giving a boring what-if talk or, worse, bad-mouthing the other team or player after the loss, Alcaraz and tennis are just different.
This was made clear after the French Open when Aryna Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff, and Sabalenka then implied that if Gauff had played Iga Swiatek in the final, Gauff would have lost. In some sports, the Belarusian's comments might have either gone unnoticed or been applauded. Everyoneloves a rivalry, right?
Congratulations @janniksin for your first Wimbledon 🏆! Very well deserved! 🤝🏻 Thank you everyone for your support! 💚 I feel at home and it’s really special to play here! 🫶🏻 See you all next year! pic.twitter.com/IRrftANFlm
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 13, 2025
Instead, Sabalenka received a lot of pushback for comments she made in frustration, but likely didn't mean. She later apologized for her words. Gauff shrugged the situation off as a player being upset they lost an important match, but didn't take it seriously.
Ahead of Wimbledon, to prove they were still friends, Sabalenka and Gauff met on a court and filmed themselves dancing together. It wasn't necessarily needed by tennis fans, but it was welcome and loved nonetheless.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner never reached that level. After each loss, the other praises the other. This trend has been ongoing, but Novak Djokovic, arguably the greatest player ever, has set a high bar by giving credit to his opponent after the Serb loses, and he never plays an injury for the loss.
Alcaraz and Sinner appear to understand the example Djokovic has set. They also likely understand how important their rivalry is to the future of tennis. There doesn't need to be animosity between the two. They just need to continue doing what they are doing: Playing high-level, historic, and unforgettable matches against each other.
But Carlos Alcaraz also could have not said anything on social media about Jannik Sinner after Sinner defeated him at Wimbledon. Instead, he set an example of how to lose with class.