(Seoul) World No. 1 and 2 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner said they were ready on Friday to team up one day to play a doubles match, with the Italian promising to discuss it again “this year or next year” with his great Spanish rival.
Gathered in Seoul on the eve of an exhibition which will pit them against each other, the two leaders of the men’s circuit together gave their first press conference of the season.
Asked about the possibility of one day seeing them form a doubles pair, the winners of the last eight Grand Slam singles tournaments did not close the door.
“I think it would be fun to share the court in a different way, playing on the same side at least for once,” said Sinner, who will try to win a third title in a row at the Australian Open at the end of January.
“Of course, the schedule” is dense “and we are so focused on singles that it is very difficult” to find time to play such a doubles match, he continued.
“When you go far in a singles tournament and then you have to play doubles, you can’t recover properly,” judged the Italian.
“But if it’s for just one tournament, that would be great. We’ll talk about it maybe this year, if we feel it at some point, or next year,” Sinner said.
The idea of playing doubles alongside his great rival crossed Alcaraz’s mind “once or twice”, said the Spaniard.
“It would be fun to make it happen at least once,” he continued, anticipating that he would then play on the forehand side and that Sinner would take care of the backhand side.
For the world No.1, who like Sinner will not play any preparation tournaments before the Australian Open (January 18-1er February), Saturday’s exhibition is “an excellent way to prepare” for the only Grand Slam tournament that is still missing from his list of achievements.
“Coming here (to South Korea, Editor’s note) for two, three days, continuing to prepare for the season that is starting, it was a great idea,” said Alcaraz, who separated in mid-December from his historic coach, the former world No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
