Sinner vs Alcaraz: A Song of Ice and Fire

It's not often you see a semi-final getting hyped up than the final in a tournament. Well, it has happened twice this year and on both occasions, Jannik Sinner was playing in it. The first instance was in the Australian Open when Sinner faced Novak Djokovic. To call Sinner an underdog in that match would be funny as he was battling against a champion who had won that tournament 10 times. But he was in red hot form as he didn't drop a set until he faced the great man at his favorite venue.

Sinner emerged victorious in grand fashion as he upset Djokovic 1-6,2-6, 7-6,3-6 handling the Serb his first-ever defeat in an Australian Open semifinal.

Two months later, Sinner is again in a semifinal, again he hasn't dropped a set en route and he is facing Carlos Alcaraz. When these two met at Miami last year tennis fans were privileged to witness a masterclass. After a tense tiebreak in the first set Sinner kept his cool and went on to win the match. Alcaraz, gracious in defeat, acknowledged his opponent and encouraged him to "go for it".

It was a pleasant gesture from Alcaraz because Sinner hadn't won any major tournaments till then even though he had all the makings of a great player as predicted by many.

Fast forward to Indian Wells this year, things have changed drastically for both players. Alcaraz, who had a grand slam win under his belt captured his second slam at Wimbledon that year in what many described as a coming-of-age win for him. But Alcaraz failed to replicate the same success afterwards. Sinner and Alcaraz met again in Beijing last year and Sinner was able to triumph over Alcaraz with ease. Alcaraz couldn't defend his US Open title and lost to Zverev who wasn't a favourite at the Australian Open this year.

Sinner on the other hand lost in straight sets to Djokovic at Wimbledon and had a fantastic run afterwards. He captured his first Masters 1000 win and even though he lost in QFs in the US Open ,he gave a real fight to Djokovic in the ATP tour finals. And it is crazy to think but Jannik Sinner has been undefeated ever since that final match in Turin.

So, Sinner surely has the upper hand this year, but Alcaraz isn't going to go down without a fight. In the pre-match press conference, Alcaraz lauded his opponent describing him "as the best player in the world right now".

The contrast in the playing styles makes their rivalry interesting to watch. While Alcaraz relies more on drop shots and controlling long rallies with his superhuman reflexes, Sinner usually goes for powerful groundstrokes with his immaculate backhand which is probably the strongest on the tour.

Their on-court celebrations are different even though both of them would have themselves fist-pumping after winning an important point. While Alcaraz usually would follow his fist pump with an aggressive yell or "come on" chant, Sinner employs a cold stare sans any words.

Their backgrounds also differ greatly as Alcaraz is expected to follow in the footsteps of his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal while Sinner became the first Italian, male or Female to win the Australian Open this year.

With Federer already retired and Nadal planning to retire at the end of this season, the Big 3 era has officially come to an end. Novak looks like he still has enough left in his tank as he continues to impress even at this age. But for now, it seems the attention has shifted towards these two young men as they have taken the mantle from the big 3 to take the sport forward. There is no doubt that the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry would dominate the tennis history of this decade.