Carlos Alcaraz made a successful return to action at the Qatar Open, picking up his first win since taking the title at the Australian Open.

After a short break following his Melbourne win, Alcaraz hit the practice courts again to get ready for his return in Doha.

He hasn’t played any matches since then but has already set another record, this time surpassing one held by Jim Courier.

With both Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner taking part in Doha, he spoke about how having Sinner around is actually something he sees as an advantage for himself.

Carlos Alcaraz says Jannik Sinner pushes him to be better

Alcaraz got his Qatar Open campaign underway with a straight sets win over Arthur Rinderknech, 6-4 7-6(5), at the same tournament where he reached the quarterfinals a year ago.

It was a similar start for Sinner, who also won his opening match without dropping a set, beating Tomas Machac.

Speaking after his victory, Alcaraz spoke about how much extra motivation he feels whenever Sinner is in the field.

“I’m not going to lie. When Jannik is in the draw, it’s much more likely that I’ll reach the final rounds, and that motivates me to bring my best level, to go day by day trying to see my name in that final,” said Alcaraz.

He added: “And hopefully I can play against him because those are the matches that really make me improve.”

How many times did Carlos Alcaraz reach the final when Jannik Sinner was also in the tournament last year?

Alcaraz’s form has typically looked stronger when Sinner is part of the field, a pattern that held true during what was his most successful year yet in 2025.

After the Australian Open, Sinner was handed a three-month suspension. That stretch also lined up with Alcaraz’s poorest run of form across the season.

When both were in the same event, Alcaraz reached finals at a rate of 75%. When Sinner wasn’t present, that figure dropped to 57.1%.

This year, Alcaraz made his first Australian Open final and went on to win it. However, it was also the first time since 2023 that Sinner didn’t join him in the Melbourne title match.

The Qatar Open is their next shot at reaching an ATP final this season. Three wins separate each from making that happen.

Alcaraz faces another Frenchman next in Valentin Royer while Sinner matches up against former Masters 1000 champion Alexei Popyrin.

Read more: