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Spaniard aims at completing 'Sunshine Double'
March 19, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed in Miami.Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed in Miami.
By ATP Staff
Countless intricacies go into what makes a top player successful. There are technical, mental and physical aspects among others that help an ATP Tour star perfect his craft. But for Carlos Alcaraz, sometimes a simple word from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero can change the tide of a high-stakes match.

“It depends on how he’s watching me. If I’m struggling a lot, if I’m in problems or not, he tells me depending on the moments,” Alcaraz told reporters Tuesday in Miami. “But I can tell you one of the things he tells me most is, ‘Smile.’”

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This was evident in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals, in which Alcaraz rallied from 1-6 to end rival Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak. A magnetic smile and superb shotmaking were easy to spot from Alcaraz, who went on to defeat Daniil Medvedev the next day to claim the Indian Wells title.

The Spaniard, who is the top seed at the Miami Open presented by Itau, has been coached by the former No. 1 Ferrero since age 14. They have forged a strong bond from their early days in junior tournaments to now the biggest stages of the sport. Ferrero has helped Alcaraz win 13 tour-level titles, including a pair of majors.

“He means a lot to me,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously it’s a great support when I have him in the box. His support is really special to me. It’s been a long path together, I think six years now. It’s been a long journey together. We started when I was playing in juniors, he did Grade 4 [tournaments] travelling with me.

“We’ve done great work together. I spend a lot of time with him at tournaments and [outside] the tournaments as well. We have a really good relationship in the professional part, but the personal part as well. I’ve learned a lot from him.”

The World No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings arrives in Miami boasting a 12-3 season record. Alcaraz is just the second player to win five ATP Masters 1000 titles before turning 21, with countryman Rafael Nadal the other.

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Alcaraz, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami two years ago, will next aim to become the eighth man to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ and the first since Roger Federer in 2017.

“I’m feeling great, with a lot of confidence right now,” Alcaraz said. “I think I'm playing great tennis. I’m really happy to be here in Miami again, a really special place for me, where I’ve shown great tennis the past years. I’m feeling great physically and mentally and I’m ready for this tournament.”

A semi-finalist last year in south Florida, Alcaraz will open against Australian Aleksandar Vukic or fellow Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

Italian beat his rival in last year’s semi-finals at ATP Masters 1000
March 20, 2024
Jannik Sinner is congratulated by Carlos Alcaraz after the pair's thrilling 2023 semi-final in Miami.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner is congratulated by Carlos Alcaraz after the pair's thrilling 2023 semi-final in Miami.
By Andy West
Jannik Sinner fell just short of lifting the trophy at the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau, but not before the Italian delivered an important statement in his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz at Hard Rock Stadium.

Alcaraz and Sinner had spent much of the past two years establishing themselves as two of the brightest young talents on the ATP Tour. Yet while Alcaraz’s rise had taken him all the way to a maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open and, with it, the achievement of becoming the youngest No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history, Sinner arrived in Miami as the World No. 11.

The Italian had demonstrated he could be consistent — he had at that point won one ATP 500 and seven ATP 250 crowns and reached the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slams — but he was still trying to establish himself as a regular title contender on the game’s biggest stages.

After not dropping a set across his first four matches in Miami, including a fourth-round win against Top 10 star Andrey Rublev, the 2021 finalist Sinner set a last-four clash with Alcaraz that doubled up as a chance for swift revenge. Just two weeks prior, Alcaraz had eased past the Italian in straight sets en route to the title at the BNP Paribas Open.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jann ... ew'>Jannik Sinner</a>
Jannik Sinner in action during his run to the final at the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour

That meeting in Indian Wells, where Alcaraz went on to lift the trophy without dropping a set, ensured Alcaraz headed to Miami as a red-hot favourite to defend his 2022 title. Sinner nonetheless retained plenty of confidence as he prepared for the pair’s sixth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I [am] happy to play against him again because I look forward to these kinds of matches,” Sinner said ahead of the match. “I feel like he makes me a better player. Here the court is fast. I think we both feel good here on these courts.”

When Alcaraz rallied from a break down to clinch an opening tie-break on Hard Rock Stadium, however, the Italian may have feared a case of Déjà vu. It was the fifth set in a row Alcaraz had won against Sinner, who soon found himself on the brink of defeat when he faced two break points at 3-4 in the second set.

Yet from there the Italian roared back to reenergise the contest in style. He won 19 of 21 points to snatch the second set and open up a 2-0 lead in the decider. In a match that saw both players play brave, attacking tennis throughout, Sinner did not blink again under the Miami lights, holding firm to register a famous 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 triumph in three hours and two minutes.


"It means a lot. We both played a very, very high level of tennis again. I just tried my best," reflected Sinner after advancing to his second Miami final. "In the third set I saw him struggle a little bit for a couple of games so I tried to push there... We both tried to play very aggressive tennis and today it went my way so I'm very happy."

With his Miami triumph, Sinner levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz at 3-3. Regardless of the result, the pair’s semi-final showdown was another reminder of how their young rivalry was becoming one of the most absorbing on the ATP Tour, both for the players and fans alike.

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“I think when both players play tennis like this, it's also very nice to play,” reflected Sinner. “You can feel it, also with the crowd. I think that was a great energy with everything.

“It's just nice to be part of these kind of matches, firstly, and secondly, you feel like you have to change always something during the match. I think that was the case today.”

Perhaps the standout highlight from the semi-final was a breathtaking 25-ball rally when Sinner was serving at 4-2, 0/15 in the opening set. Both players showcased elite defensive skills to prolong the exchange but it was Sinner, under pressure as Alcaraz charged the net, who clipped a delightful backhand pass to send the crowd into raptures.


“It was an unbelievable point,” said Alcaraz later. “When I lost that point, the first thing that came to my mind is like, ‘He's unbeatable, this guy’. We played a great game, I think we were both at a great level. I broke his serve that game, if I remember well. But of course against Jannik there are always great points like this one.”

Sinner was ultimately denied the trophy after Daniil Medvedev prevailed 7-5, 6-3 in the final, but he returns to Miami this year as one of the men to beat on Tour. The World No. 3 started 2024 by winning his first 16 matches and, despite falling to a second straight Indian Wells semi-final defeat to Alcaraz last week, the 22-year-old has never been better placed to eclipse his rivals at Hard Rock Stadium.