Despite having himself a blast this year by winning two majors and some other impressive tournaments, world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz took a moment to acknowledge the massive leap that his fellow star Jannik Sinner has made this season, who ascended to the world no. 1 as of the time of writing and is likely to finish as the year-end no. 1.

In three showdowns this season, Alcaraz has managed to beat Sinner in each. However, it is worth noting that Sinner has made the most of his chances for most of the campaign, and it cannot be denied that there are indeed a lot of talks as to how the Spanish star just merely fell behind the Italian world no. 1.

But tennis is a game, and Alcaraz is quick to admit that his competitor has had the better year. It takes a lot of grit to admit that another player is better than you – at least for this season – and Alcaraz knows that he’s humble enough to give praise to some of the best players in the game who’s just had an elite-level performance in the 2024 Tour.

A Better Year

This year, Alcaraz boasts a 51-10 record, tallying four titles and earning $9,036,407 in prize money. So far, this has been a promising campaign for the 21-year-old, and one can say that there is indeed a lot to expect from Alcaraz as he continues to get better in the game. However, he is definitely quick to acknowledge that Sinner has had a better year.

“For sure. I mean, it doesn't matter that I have beaten Jannik three times. Probably I didn't play good tennis in some tournaments. My percentage of wins this year is really, really high, but Jannik is another level this year,” Alcaraz said. “He has earned over 91 percent of wins this year. So just a few players have done this before.”

For context, Sinner has improved to a 65-6 record this year to go along with seven titles, including $12,032,935 in prize money. On the other hand, Alcaraz has won 83.6% of his games in 2024, just a little bit behind Sinner’s 91.5% win rate. The two players have been consistently locked for the battle for the World no. 1, but it seems that Sinner is poised to take this round away.

A Promise to Focus in Games

Still, Alcaraz believes that there’s no reason for him to panic or be pressured in his games. After all, he’s still young, and he is keen to finish his season at a high note rather than bowing out of the game and taking an early rest to cap off the year. There’s still his games in the Rolex Paris Masters and the upcoming ATP Finals, where he’s expected to play in both.

“I have important tournaments ahead, that I really want to go far in and play good tennis,” Alcaraz said. “The most important thing that I have to think is to understand the goals about the end of the year. I want to finish second in the ATP Rankings. That means that I have to play good tennis and be fresh mentally to do good results in the last tournaments.”

At this point, there are still bigger expectations from Alcaraz in the coming years, and that means that he is definitely due for a climb to the top spot. For now, he is conceding the battle, but expect to see him back in the mix for next year’s battle.