Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry has quickly become one of the most iconic in recent memory, and they are expected to maintain it for the next decade and beyond.
They are, by some distance, the two most dominant players on the planet; sadly, 2026 has been a tough year for them.
First, it was the Spaniard who suffered his devastating wrist injury, which kept him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Then, as he neared a comeback, Jannik Sinner’s absence began, with the 24-year-old forced to end his season early, with his last match coming in the Wimbledon final.
Do you believe that Alexander Zverev will win Grand Slams in 2027 with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz back?
The tennis world is hoping to see them both back to full fitness in 2027, regardless of who you favour.
Toni Nadal, who has routinely been outspoken about modern tennis, has now noted his favourite of the two.
Toni Nadal picks his favourite out of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Chatting recently with Spanish outlet 20minutos, Nadal was once again discussing Carlos Alcaraz.
However, on this particular occasion, he did so in the context of his rivalry with Sinner, which has sadly been a casualty of their respective injury woes this year.
As a result, they have played just once, whereas last year they faced off six times and in all but one of the Grand Slam finals.
Asked to pick between them, Nadal admitted: “I had to choose between the two; I’d stick with Alcaraz. I like his style more. I couldn’t tell you who is better of the two, but I lean toward Carlos; he’s a smart kid and very complete on the court.”
And then, asked if he would ever consider coaching them, his reply was a strong one: “I wouldn’t coach either Carlos or Jannik. Neither them nor any other tennis player. I’m already out of the competition.”
This comes as Juan Carlos Ferrero continues to be linked with Sinner as his new coach, as Darren Cahill’s future remains uncertain.
What happened in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s only match of 2026?
With Sinner having ended his season early, we are now guaranteed not to get a competitive showdown between these two superstars.
That means the only match they played this entire year came back in April, in the Monte Carlo Masters final.
Over the years, and despite their youth, this duo have already shared some iconic battles and competed in some of the greatest matches in tennis history.
However, their sole match this year was not one of them.
It was a showdown totally marred by the blustery conditions, with neither player able to deal with the swirling winds at the country club.
As such, rather uncharacteristically for the world’s two best players, it was devoid of quality throughout.
There were a total of 83 unforced errors in the match, with Alcaraz hitting ever so slightly more (45) than Sinner (38).
This helped the Italian eventually claim a 7-6, 6-3 victory.
