Laureus Awards 2026 to Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner awaits: "I want you back on the field in Rome"

Jannik Sinner dedicated a thought to his friend-rival Carlos Alcaraz, who was awarded at the Laureus Awards 2026 as sportsman of the year but is currently out of action due to a delicate wrist injury. And it was precisely he who was at the center of the reflections of the South Tyrolean champion, who at the microphones of ‘Sky Sport’ expressed to him human solidarity but also the desire to find each other again as soon as possible. Potentially already on the occasion of the Internazionali d’Italia to be held at the Foro Italico in Rome, without forgetting an appointment of such crucial importance as Roland Garros.

“Carlos is going through a moment that is not easy – admitted Sinner, speaking of Alcaraz in an interview for ‘Sky Sport’ -. We all hope to see him back on the court as soon as possible. Maybe already in Rome. I, as an opponent, hope he will be there for Roland Garros as well. Because anyway when you want to win you aim to do it against the strongest players in the world. And he is definitely there. Others have had rivalries that lasted fifteen and more years. We’re just getting started, so anything can still happen between us.”

Sinner then focused on the great tennis rivalries, starting with those between Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, comparing them to the one currently going on between himself and Alcaraz. “I entered the circuit,” he recalled, “when Roger was almost not playing anymore. Rafa I saw him a little bit more and got to know him better. The same thing with Nole, who is still here and I am lucky to learn from him. However, I think each rivalry has its own story. Every player is different. I can only talk about Carlos, because I am inside this rivalry. We are two very normal people with the same values, including the importance we give to family and the will to always give our best. We have won the last major tournaments, talking about the Slams, and he is obviously a player who pushes me to always give my best. I think this is the most beautiful thing.”

Hopes of seeing Alcaraz back on the court in Rome, however, seem rather remote at the moment. Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez, who has experienced a similar problem firsthand during his own career, was very pessimistic about the Spaniard’s situation: “I have been out for about two months with a wrist problem, but I don’t know what the extent of his injury is. I think it is almost impossible for him to play in Rome, hopefully he can recover for Paris.” A prospect that, if confirmed, would weigh enormously on the ranking level as well: Alcaraz risks losing up to 3,000 ATP points in the coming weeks, considering that last year he had triumphed at both the Internazionali d’Italia and Roland Garros, beating Sinner himself in the final on both occasions.

On the Alcaraz case, Adriano Panatta also expressed himself, who on ‘La Domenica Sportiva’ did not mince words in singling out the Spaniard’s responsibility: “Carlos at 21-22 years old, with all the trophies he won, he became more enterprising, he wanted to change and he made a mistake.” The former Italian champion referred to the separation from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, emphasizing how that bond was crucial to the Murcia tennis player’s growth. Panatta then drew an enlightening parallel between the two great rivals: “From what I see, Sinner has an absolute dedication to tennis, everything is programmed to get the maximum result. He looks like a Martian. Alcaraz has a different conception of happiness. And that can make a difference in the long run.”

In the meantime, Sinner is looking ahead and preparing for the Madrid Masters 1000, scheduled for April 22 to May 3, where he will start as the big favorite. For the South Tyrolean this is a historic occasion: by winning the tournament, he would become the first tennis player to win five consecutive Masters 1000s, following his successes in Paris-Bercy, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo. It was precisely the Monegasque final against Alcaraz, won by Sinner, that had registered record ratings: more than 3.2 million average total viewers in total audience between Sky and TV8, with a share of 25.1%, confirming how the rivalry between the two champions has now become a phenomenon capable of enthralling millions of fans far beyond the borders of the tennis world.