Sinner relishing ‘special’ US Open final with Alcaraz; I still want to play GS: Djokovic hushes retirement talk

Reigning champion Jannik Sinner expects another “special” occasion when he plays Carlos Alcaraz for the men’s US Open title after the Italian reached his fifth successive Grand Slam final on Friday.

Sinner beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and is chasing a fifth career major after joining Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a season.

“I think five straight Grand Slam finals, it’s something great. The consistency and putting myself there in the later stages of the biggest tournaments we have, it’s amazing,” said Sinner.

“I would have never thought that I would make this when I turned pro, and now I find myself here.”

His world number one ranking will be at stake on Sunday when he faces Alcaraz for the third consecutive Grand Slam final.

Sinner, 24, captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this season but lost to the 22-year-old Alcaraz in an epic five-set battle at the French Open.

“On court we like to see each other, you know, because it means that considering our ranking, it means that we are doing well in the tournament,” said Sinner.

They will meet at the US Open for the second time. Their first encounter in the 2022 quarter-finals was a seismic battle that has come to shape their rivalry.

“Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again,” said Sinner. “I feel like our rivalry started here playing an amazing match. We are two different players now, with different confidence too.”

Three years ago it was Alcaraz who prevailed after a 5hr 15min marathon that finished just before 3:00am in New York, with the Spaniard going on to lift his maiden Grand Slam at that tournament.

Sinner is looking to catch Alcaraz on Sunday by collecting his fifth major. Much of that success has been built on a the back of 27 straight Grand Slam match wins on hard courts. He is aiming to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open crown since Federer won the last of five consecutive titles in 2008.

Canada’s Auger-Aliassime was trying to reach his first Grand Slam final after making the last four for the first time since his run to the same stage in New York in 2021.

“I don’t have regrets. I played my way. I played my game. You know, you kind of live and die with your choices,” said Auger-Aliassime.

Meanwhile, Djokovic confirmed that he wants to play a full Grand Slam season next year, after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the 2025 US Open.

Alcaraz and Djokovic continued their inter-generational rivalry, where the 22-year-old Spaniard overcame the 38-year-old Serbian 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach his seventh major final and second in New York.

“I still want to play Grand Slams and a full Grand Slam season next year,” said the Serb. Let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not. But Slams are Slams - they are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have,” said Djokovic.

In a largely high-quality, absorbing two-hour and 25-minute clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz avenged his recent losses to Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics to stay on track for his sixth Grand Slam title and a return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, as per ATP.

“I’m happy with my level of tennis, but it’s just the physicality of it. As I said after the quarter-finals, the press conference when I spoke to you guys, I said I’m going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and that rhythm for as many hours as it’s needed,” said Djokovic, who is 5-4 in his ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz.

“But it wasn’t enough. That’s something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can’t control.”

Agencies