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Carlos Alcaraz has said he “misses” his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, with the Italian currently sidelined with a knee injury.
After splitting the four grand slams of 2025 between them many expected the pair to be equally dominant in 2026. But they have not met in a single major final as both have struggled with injury problems, and have only contested one match – the Monte Carlo final, which Sinner won.
Spaniard Alcaraz missed nearly five months of the season with a wrist injury before returning to defend his title at the US Open, where he lost in the quarter-finals, while Sinner has been out of action since Wimbledon with the knee problem.
Alcaraz will play for the first time since his US Open exit at the exhibition Laver Cup in London this week, after saying that he would be more conservative in his playing schedule in order to manage his physical health.
He told BBC Sport ahead of the competition: “I have texted him [Sinner] not too much, but a few times when he has been winning everything, mostly at the beginning of the year.
“I miss him, I miss seeing him around, playing against him. He pushes me to be a better player.
“People will be waiting for those matches, so I think it’s going to be better [when he’s back].”
Alcaraz, who will play for Team Europe, reflected on reaching the quarter-finals in New York as “a gift” after his lengthy layoff. He lost in a five-set thriller to American world No 4 Ben Shelton and despite the defeat beamed as he exited Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I suffered, but I enjoyed and that’s why I smiled when I walked out of the court because I missed that feeling,” he explained.
But he joined calls for a change in the scheduling at Flushing Meadows, with several players critical of late finishing times. Alcaraz’s clash with Shelton finished at 3.33am local time, the latest-ever finish in US Open history, while other players, notably eventual champion Alexander Zverev and Venus Williams, endured 2am finishes earlier in the tournament.
Alcaraz said: “I think it’s too much… if that match was played earlier, the court could have been packed.
“I would like to change the schedule a little, with a maximum finish at 11pm or whatever [it] would be better.”