Rome, 15 January (LaPresse) – ‘The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner is fantastic.’ Roger Federer, six-time Australian Open champion, has no doubts about this, speaking to journalists ahead of his participation in the opening ceremony of the 2026 edition of the tournament. "Jannik and Carlos play incredible tennis. I think that Roland Garros final was unreal. I had the feeling that, for a moment, the world of sport stopped and looked towards Paris to see what was happening in that epic fifth set, because it could have ended much, much earlier for Jannik. And then suddenly it ended in the craziest way possible. Perhaps one of the greatest matches our sport has ever seen." But there was much more to that final than that. Sinner and Alcaraz have won the last eight Slam singles titles and are the first players since 1964 to have faced each other in three major finals in the same season. And it certainly won't end there. ‘It's great to keep riding that momentum. And then they confirmed it by facing each other in subsequent finals. Everyone is trying to keep up, and they are trying to pull away. What we have seen in terms of progress in recent years has been wonderful. I've trained with them a bit. They hit incredibly well.’
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