Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz haven’t faced off against each other yet in the 2026 season.

Sinner did not have to beat Alcaraz in the final. But Sinner went on to break another record at Indian Wells when he beat Medvedev, becoming the first player since Roger Federer to win 20 matches in a row to start a season.

Sinner beat Medvedev, who had earlier ended Alcaraz’s 16-match unbeaten streak that stretched back to last year. Sinner then became just the sixth man in history to record a perfect 15-0 start to an ATP Tour calendar year, following his Australian Open triumph earlier this year.

Darren Cahill thinks Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could use more competition

Before the Indian Wells final, Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill appeared on Sky Sports and spoke about his player’s rivalry with Alcaraz. The pair have combined to win the last nine Grand Slam titles, but Cahill believes that more players need to break through.

While he acknowledged that their head-to-head has been good for tennis, he pointed out that the ATP Tour would benefit from seeing a wider group of contenders emerge in the coming years.

“I think the rivalry has been good for everyone, especially as we have had the golden generation and Novak is still doing amazing things and Roger and Rafa and Andy no longer playing the game, to have two players step up and try to fill some of the size of the shoes they have left has been amazing for everybody,” said Cahill.

“The interest is there, the rivalry is great. Carlos being number one and Jannik number two at the minute gives Jannik something to chase, and so far he is doing a good job.

“I think the rivalry is something tennis needs. We need rivalries, and in fact, we need two or three more players to come through and create four or five players at the top of the game that week in and week out we see amazing tennis, and we see great tennis at the moment.”

Alcaraz has a chance to deny Sinner history at the Miami Open

Alcaraz will aim to bounce back from his loss to Medvedev as he heads to Miami, where he lifted the trophy back in 2022.

He’ll be motivated not only by a shot at another title but also by a chance to stand in the way of Sinner’s place in the record books.

Sinner now has a shot at becoming just the eighth man ever to complete the Sunshine Double, which means winning both Indian Wells and Miami in succession.

The elite list includes Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, who managed it an impressive four times. Others like Jim Courier, Michael Chang, and Marc Rosset did it before Indian Wells became an ATP Masters 1000 event.

If both players make it all the way through, Alcaraz could have his first chance to complete this rare achievement by preventing Sinner from doing it first.

The men’s singles draw gets started on Wednesday, 18 March, but since they’re both seeded players, neither will be in action until Friday at the earliest.

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