Carlos Alcaraz was in fine form as he cruised to a first-round win at the Australian Open, but it was his comments on Jannik Sinner which drew attention.

Carlos thinks about Jannik every time he practices, targeting further improvements for their upcoming encounters. Alcaraz also uses Sinner's titles and incredible success in the previous season to practice even harder and seek the extra gear that can make the difference.

Carlos Alcaraz has confessed that Jannik Sinner lives “in his head” when practising. The young champions have already formed an exciting rivalry and split the Grand Slams between them last year. They could now take it to the next level at the Australian Open, where they are on a collision course for their first Major final showdown.

Carlos Alcaraz apologised to Jannik Sinner after criticising the world No.1 following his opening-round win at the Australian Open. Alcaraz looked at his very best in the straight sets victory against Alexander Shevchenko, taking the game 6-1, 7-5, 6-1

The hypothetical quarterfinals match tennis fans everywhere were dreaming about when the 2025 Australian Open men's singles draw was released came

FILE - Italy’s Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

The top-ranked Sinner, who is the defending champion at Melbourne Park, and No. 3 Alcaraz are coming off a 2024 season in which they each won two Grand Slam titles.

Jannik Sinner was trying to "battle test" some new shots in his win over Marcos Giron because Carlos Alcaraz "still has an extra gear" - believes Jim Courier.

“He knows that his bad days are better than anyone else’s bad days, including Carlos Alcaraz. I think he’s realised that his best day is not as good as Alcaraz’s best day because Alcaraz has so many options.

The men’s singles draw is highlighted by the third seed Alcaraz and seventh seed Djokovic in a blockbuster matchup. They met last year in the Wimbledon final (won by Alcaraz) and Olympic final (won by Djokovic).

After getting past Shelton, Monfils has a favorable matchup against either Learner Tien or Lorenzo Sonego. In the semifinals, Monfils will face Jannik Sinner and the Italian will get the victory in four sets. Reaching the semis, though, will be Monfils best showing ever in Melbourne and his first major semifinal since the 2016 US Open.