How rare is Alcaraz's five-match win streak vs. Sinner in iconic rivalries?

Fierce Feuds

How rare is Alcaraz's five-match win streak vs. Sinner in iconic rivalries?

Look back at rivalries including Djokovic-Nadal, Nadal-Federer and McEnroe-Connors

Peter Staples/ATP Tour Carlos Alcaraz leads Jannik Sinner 8-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series following their memorable clash in the Roland Garros final. By ATP Staff

Carlos Alcaraz’s victory against Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final came with the Coupe de Mousquetaires, but also served as a statement in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

The Spaniard has now won five consecutive matches against the Italian to extend his lead in their series to 8-4. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, Sinner has lost just eight matches, and five of those defeats have come against Alcaraz.

The superstars bring the best out of one another, and Alcaraz has proven to get the better of Sinner in their past five clashes. In the aftermath of the memorable final in Paris, Sinner shared his conflicted feelings about being part of such a classic.

“It's good to see that we can produce also tennis like this, because I think it's good for the whole movement of tennis and the crowd. It was a good atmosphere today and also to be part of it, it's very special,” Sinner said. “Of course, I'm happy to be part of this. [I] would be even more happy if I would have here the big trophy.”

Will the five straight losses to Alcaraz eventually weigh on Sinner and become a defining part of their rivalry? Extended winning streaks have actually been common in some of the most legendary Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries.

No rivals faced off more than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who played 60 tour-level matches against one another. The two all-time greats not only met on the biggest stages consistently, but finished with little separation between them, Djokovic winning their series 31-29.

Yet within those 60 matches, Djokovic earned a seven-match winning streak twice (2011 Indian Wells-2012 Australian Open and 2015 Monte-Carlo-2016 Rome) and Nadal claimed five consecutive matches from 2008 Beijing through 2009 Madrid.

Notable Streaks In Iconic Lexus ATP Head2Head Rivalries

Nadal and Federer's rivalry is another prime example of such back-and-forth swings. Nadal built a 23-9 lead in their series, including three separate five-match winning streaks against the Swiss. But those losses helped Federer develop his game. The 103-time tour-level champion changed his racquet and played more aggressively with his one-handed backhand to win six of the rivals’ final seven clashes. Before that, he had never claimed more than two straight triumphs against the Spaniard.

One of the most iconic rivalries in our sport was John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, two left-handed Americans with big personalities and even bigger games. McEnroe ultimately won 20 of their 34 matches, with 30 of their encounters coming in semi-finals or finals.

Fans remember their matches and high level, not that McEnroe won 11 consecutive meetings against his rival from 1983 Cincinnati through 1986 San Francisco.

So while Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, will want to turn things around and earn revenge against Alcaraz the next time they play, momentum swings in tennis’ greatest rivalries are normal. Alcaraz explained in his post-match press conference that he expects the 23-year-old to punch back.

“I'm sure he's going to learn from this match, and he's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face against each other,” Alcaraz said. “I'm pretty sure he's going to make his homework. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to learn from this match as well [to see] how I can be better, how I can tactically make damage in his game.

“I repeat: I'm not going to beat him forever. That's obvious. So I have to keep learning from the matches I played against him, and hopefully play more Grand Slam finals.”

Click here to read article