Jannik Sinner makes confession about his relationship with Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz should really be ranked No. 1 and No. 2 and in no particular order. Playing their best, Alcaraz is probably the slightly better player. He likely proved this during his performance in the final of the China Open when he defeated Sinner in three sets. Still, there is little difference between the players.

They are also both in their early 20s and likely to dominate tennis for the next decade. We might not get a Big 3 again for a while, but tennis fans certainly have a Big 2 to watch for the foreseeable future. Both players will be trying to win the Shanghai Masters over the next week.

Ahead of the Masters 1000 event, Sinner was asked about his personal relationship with Alcaraz. The question is a little odd. We want the players to get along as both seem like genuinely nice people, but they are also rivals trying to achieve the same goal: Win Grand Slams, make a lot of money, and be the ATP No. 1.

Jannik Sinner sets record straight about Carlos Alcaraz

Is it normal to be friends with one's closest rival, no matter the sport or walk of life? Maybe not. We know tennis players see each other a lot in locker rooms before and after matches, and maybe they can be friendly there, if not on the court. Sinner, however, set the record straight about how he and Alcaraz get along.

The Italian told the media ahead of the Shanghai Masters, "I feel like off the court we are quite similar on the court we are different. He is the one who brings the firepower and the hot shots, he involves the crowd...I am more like the solid player, quite calm. So it’s like fire and ice a bit...For me it’s nice that we are rivals on the court and then friends off the court...We have a good relationship, but we are not close friends, you know, but I think the respect that we have, you know, put us in a position that we have a really good relationship."

So yeah, Alcaraz and Sinner get along and are friendly. They could even be great friends when their careers end. Maybe they are the next Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. That would be great for tennis. Though, to be fair, what they bring to tennis currently is pretty great now.

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