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.
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Once seated, Alcaraz turned to his right, glanced at his great rival and mouthed the word “wow”.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are in the midst of the biggest men’s on-court rivalry in recent years, but sometimes it’s hard to tell by their friendly demeanour [Handout/SEMA Sports Marketing]
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 is right now. But I was not sure if I could ever be in the position where I am in right now,” the Italian said.
“But it turned out to be a great rivalry between us, and it also goes off the court because we have a good relationship.”
Sinner and Alcaraz played a friendly table tennis match [Jung Yeon-je/AFP]
The ‘Sincaraz’ era
In a sport defined by individual excellence, relationships between elite players have always fascinated fans and helped generate interest in the sport.
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe represented emotional extremes; Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi embodied restraint versus rebellion; Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal offered contrasting aesthetics and physicality. At the height of their rivalry, Federer and Nadal toured the world together, playing exhibitions and supporting charities across Europe and Africa.
In Seoul, Alcaraz and Sinner offered a glimpse of a similar dynamic.
Over four days, the pair were almost inseparable.
After their opening news conference, Alcaraz and Sinner moved to the lobby, where cheering employees watched the pair laugh their way through a friendly table tennis match.
In keeping with the marketing needs of the time, Sincaraz filmed playful short videos, completed trending challenges and fielded light-hearted questions. One clip, in which Sinner laughed as Alcaraz attempted to say “Hi, I’m Carlos Alcaraz” in Korean, went viral in no time.
The relaxed mood carried into their exhibition tennis match.
Following in the footsteps of legends such as Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner played in front of a sold-out crowd.
Both players took time to find rhythm early, with Alcaraz committing several unforced errors in his first appearance since November.
But as the spectacle took over, the Spaniard began unleashing “tweener” winners.
Alcaraz put all his tricks on show in the exhibition match at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea [Jung Yeon-je/AFP]
The opponents repeatedly turned towards the crowd fielding Spanish and Italian flags and responded to shouts of “I love you” and “You’re handsome” with fist bumps and finger hearts.
At one point, Sinner – the one less accustomed to exhibition theatrics – invited a young boy from the front row to play a point with Alcaraz while he sat among the fans and cheered him on.
The intensity rose sharply in the second set, particularly in the tiebreak, when a pair of high-speed serves from Alcaraz helped set up match point.
When Sinner’s final forehand found the net, the two met with an embrace, just the way they have in all “Sincaraz” matches until now.
“Jannik, we finished the [last] season playing together, we [have] started the season playing together”, Alcaraz said to his contemporary after the match.
“So hopefully this season is going to be a good one like last year. Hopefully see you on [championship] Sundays.”
The pair embraced at the net after the match [Jung Yeon-je/AFP]
‘Just getting started’
In the concourses outside the arena, the fans were evenly split between the top two players.
“My personal favourite is Sinner, but it seems like there’s more hype with Alcaraz in the country due to his flashy playing style,” Choi In-sik, who travelled 40km (25 miles) from Seoul to Incheon to watch the match with his girlfriend, told Al Jazeera.
“The two seem to go back and forth every time they play, but I think Sinner has shown he is stronger on hard courts. So, I think he will three-peat at the Australian Open later this month”.
Kim Ju-hee attended with a friend from her tennis club and said the match had dominated conversations all week.
“But compared to the Big 3 [Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic], Sinner and Alcaraz are not there yet,” she said. “They’re just getting started now.”
For Lee Gew-chon, who says tennis has grown enormously in South Korea since he first picked up a racquet 15 years ago, the event was unforgettable.
“It’s not easy at all to see the world’s two top players in your home country, but it’s also not easy to see them at a Grand Slam where tickets are hard to come by,” he said. “Even with tickets, both players would have to make the finals for you to see them clash.”
Broadcasters in Spain, Italy and the United States streamed the match live, while within the region, India and Japan also streamed the event.
An initial report by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that both players received a $2.3m appearance fee, but a representative from event organiser SEMA Sports Marketing quashed the report. The South Korean daily No Cut News put the amount closer to $1.35m for each player, referring to its own industry source.
Alcaraz and Sinner played in front of a sold-out arena [Jung Yeon-je/AFP]
Back to business in Australia
Over the past 18 months and two Grand Slam seasons, Alcaraz and Sinner have traded the No 1 rank and split eight Grand Slam titles between them, meeting in three consecutive major finals.
Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 10-6, but Sinner won their most recent encounter at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
As a result, the Seoul exhibition was widely viewed as a preview of a potential Australian Open final. Alcaraz is chasing his first title at the event to complete his career Grand Slam, while Sinner has his own opportunity to do so later this year at Roland Garros in Paris.
Despite their friendly exchanges in South Korea, the players were mindful of the competitive nature of their relationship.
“Today’s game is helpful to see if Jannik changes something in his game,” Alcaraz quipped after the exhibition match. “I wouldn’t say [he did today],” he added, hinting that both are careful not to reveal too much to each other.
“I wouldn’t take anything from today’s match. We will see in Australia. I will watch his matches for sure.”
In addition to paying close attention to “the small details” of his rival’s game, Sinner also stressed that the two rivals’ dominance offers little margin for complacency.
“At the moment, there are many other great players. So, if we drop [our level] just a little bit, they’re going to take our place,” the defending Australian Open champion said. “So, it’s great to have [Carlos] push me to the limit. Hopefully, I can improve every time when we play.”
Only a small group of players have beaten either man in recent years.
The United Kingdom’s No 1, Jack Draper, defeated Alcaraz in the semifinals of Indian Wells – the so-called “fifth grand slam” – last season, while attention in Melbourne will again fall on Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion chasing an 11th Australian Open title.
After flying to Australia together on a private jet, Alcaraz and Sinner were seen high-fiving during practice on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. The tournament begins Sunday, and – as in the past two years – they start from opposite ends of the draw. Many are already anticipating another “Sincaraz” final.
