Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been compared to tennis icons John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg for their “fire and ice” qualities by tennis pundit Mark Petchey.
Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry has developed into one of the biggest rivals in recent ATP Tour history, with the two having already met 10 times.
World No 3 Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 6-4 and won all three of his encounters against Sinner in 2024, alongside winning the French Open and Wimbledon titles
However, Sinner swept the Australian and US Open titles in 2024 and won a tour-leading eight ATP titles in 2024, with the Italian finishing the season as the world No 1.
Alcaraz and Sinner look set to be the leading figures of the next era of men’s tennis and their rivalry has now been compared to that of McEnroe and Borg’s.
The rivalry between McEnroe and Borg is one of the most celebrated in ATP history, with the pair proving the biggest ATP stars of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Most famously, the pair faced off in the legendary 1980 Wimbledon final – which the Swede won in five sets.
Speaking to Betway, former pro turned coach and pundit Petchey compared the two rivalries and said a blend of personalities made Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivals to watch in the future
“You need great rivalries and different personalities. It is Fire and Ice 2.0 for me with Jannik and Carlos. We might not have the trash talk of the 80s but tennis actually is an unbelievably healthy space.
“You want to see people who are trying to win big competitions that are being ultra professional in doing that. Otherwise, what are we celebrating? People that are mediocre.”
Alcaraz and Sinner are known to have a hugely respectful relationship and have spoken positively about each other in past press conferences.
Some have accused the friendly nature of the relationship of being uninteresting, especially compared to the tension that often appeared between the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in recent years.
