TENNIS: Federer hopes 'Sincaraz' rivalry can thrill fans at Australian Open

MELBOURNE – The era-defining rivalry between Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Italy's Jannik Sinner has injected fresh excitement into men's tennis, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer said Thursday as he looked forward to a blockbuster Australian Open showdown between the pair.

The duo, nicknamed "Sincaraz," have reshaped the men's game, moving it beyond the long-dominant "Big Three" of Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Together, they have thrilled fans by claiming nine of the last 10 Grand Slam titles.

They met in six finals last year, including the French Open, where Alcaraz saved three match points to complete one of tennis’ greatest comebacks in a five-hour, 29-minute Paris final.

"That's why we're here," Federer said about the rivalry, which fans and pundits expect to play out in the Australian Open final after clashes in the other three majors.

"It's a great rivalry. They play incredible tennis, and the French Open final was unreal. The game, not that it needed it, but it was great that we had it. For a moment, the sporting world stood still and watched what was going on in Paris in that epic fifth set. It could have ended sooner for Jannik, and then all of a sudden it ended up in this crazy fashion. It was maybe one of the greatest matches. It's good we still live off that momentum, and they backed it up by playing each other in all those other finals. Everybody else has tried to keep up while they're trying to pull away."

Career Slam vs. Threepeat

The 22-year-old Alcaraz is chasing his first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, while 24-year-old Sinner is aiming for a third straight Melbourne Park crown, a dominance reminiscent of Djokovic's era.

"Their progression in the last few years is wonderful," Federer said, who won the last of his six Australian Open trophies in 2018. "I've practiced with both of them a little bit, and they're incredible ball strikers. There's more to come. I hope they stay injury-free."

Federer also expressed hope that Alcaraz, who faces 79th-ranked Australian Adam Walton in the first round, would achieve the career Grand Slam.

"He knows about it… those things are tough. But his momentum will shift towards the first round, and then it's a point-to-point mentality," Federer added. "At his young age, to be able to complete the career Grand Slam would be crazy. Let's see if he's able to do crazy this week. I hope he does because that would be an unbelievably special moment for the game. But he has another 100-whatever players who say 'we don't agree with those plans,' so they'll try everything to stop him."

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman/Reuters