Sinner ready for good battles

JANNIK Sinner said he looked forward to battling Carlos Alcaraz for years to come, even after falling to the Spaniard in a thrilling threeset semi-final at Indian Wells on Saturday.

Defending champion Alcaraz had to dig deep to beat the in-form Italian, who came into the contest undefeated this season and on a 19-match winning streak dating back to last year.

Alcaraz, 20, and 22-year-old Australian Open champion Sinner are now 4-4 lifetime against each other.

"This makes things really fun, no?" Sinner said.

"Maybe there is one day where one of us wins three, four times in a row.

“Then the opponent or the other one has to try to adjust a little bit, trying completely new things.

"Maybe it goes completely wrong – that you lose 6-1 6-1, or whatever. But I think that's good to see for me, and then trying to grow in the future."

The men’s game has been searching for new rivalries since Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022 and the expected exit of Rafa Nadal some time this year, which will leave just Novak Djokovic from the Big Three-era.

Those concerns have been ameliorated by the ascent of world number three Sinner and two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

Sinner said he enjoyed his time on centre court in the California desert, despite falling 1-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that featured several jaw-dropping rallies at a tournament many consider the most important outside the four majors.

"This is one of the best places to play tennis, no?" Sinner asked.

"Packed stadium. Two young players trying their best. It is fun to play there.

"For sure, you want to win, but there will be occasions in the future where you win some and you lose some. There is nothing you can do about it.

"The most important part is that you give 100%, which I’ve done."