FILE – Winner Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy’s Jannik Sinner hug after the final

FILE – Winner Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy’s Jannik Sinner hug after the final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Neither believes the Roland Garros final, which the 23-year-old Italian lost after having three successive match-points on Alcaraz’s serve, one of a second serve that was clocked at 144 kmph, will have a bearing on the Sunday’s tea-time affair. He trails the head-to-head 4-8. 1 has however won their only previous meeting on grass in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2022. 2 forces opponents out of their comfort zone. average speed for the first serve hitting 125 mph this fortnight, Alcaraz’s play messes with the head While Sinner has the bigger serve. You never know what Carlos will do, a short kicker and serve and volley at 15-30,” Fritz said.

Sinner, a furious ball striker, whose power was described by American Ben Shelton as two times that of other players, has lost five successive matches to Alcaraz.

“I always try to put myself in these kinds of situations that I really love,” he said, “Sundays in every tournament is very special. Sinner and Alcaraz meet for the second time in a Major final, when they play for the Gentleman’s Singles Trophy at Wimbledon . The Italian argued that if their last meeting was lodged in his head he wouldn’t be in another final five weeks later. The last time Sinner beat Alcaraz was in Beijing almost two years ago. The world No. Alcaraz, tennis’ universal favorite, much in the Roger Federer fashion, has enviable range. Taylor Fritz, the fifth seed, who fell to Alcaraz in the semifinal, mused that the world No. “Carlos is unpredictable with the slicing and the coming to the net, and the dropshots. He has a lot of different ways to play.

Alcaraz, who produced flawless tennis in the last 15 minutes of the match, after Sinner worked his way back into the contest in the fifth set, hasn’t watched the final again.

“Just a few clips, a few points, but not that much,” the 22-year-old said. A bookmark in his memory.

Because of his ability to learn from his losses, alcaraz talked down the advantage he holds in the rivalry, saying the Italian is the player he is.