Sinner recently revealed that he was outmatched while playing golf with Alcaraz, as he swept through his first match in Cincinnati.

Since 2021, Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other 13 times, with the Spaniard leading 8 wins to 5. The two top players in the world have arrived in Cincinnati to prepare for the US Open.

In addition to their on-court competition, the two frequently challenge each other on the golf course, where their interactions outside of tennis are lighthearted and fun. In a recent interview with Tennis Channel reporter Prakash Amritraj, Sinner discussed playing golf with his biggest rival, Alcaraz, and admitted that Alcaraz's skills are superior to his own, noting that his golf game is not on the same level. However, during the tournament in Cincinnati, he still enjoys his time playing golf since there aren't many entertainment options available locally.

“Yes, in fact, we’ve played a few times before this tournament. I’m not great at golf, but I really enjoy spending time doing different things. We were just talking about it, maybe we should go now since it's not too late. I have a day off tomorrow, so maybe we can play a few holes here. It was the same last year, you know, this is the best place for golf. There isn’t much to do in Cincinnati, so we’re lucky to have a golf course here. The first hole should be straight, but there are cars all on the left; if the ball hits a car, everyone knows it was me.”

When asked how it feels to compete alongside the new French Open champion, Sinner laughed and admitted, “Carlos is too good for me; I’m more suited to being with my team.”

Sinner and Alcaraz's friendship often shines outside the court, while their on-court battles keep fans around the world on the edge of their seats. After the Wimbledon final, they reunited at the training grounds in Cincinnati, checking in on each other's lives over the past few weeks.

When Sinner asked Alcaraz how he spent the three weeks after the grass season, the Spaniard replied, “Nothing special, just at home. I stayed at home for two weeks, then went to southern Spain for a week, which was nice. I had three weeks at home in the summer, and honestly, it was a bit boring. It was the first time in a year that I didn't see all my friends or anyone, just did my own thing.”

On the court, Sinner kicked off his title defense with the fastest victory of the season. This is his first tournament since defeating Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title last month, and he performed strongly, dominating Galan 6-1, 6-1 in just 59 minutes to advance to the third round. “Matches are always different from practice, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect today,” Sinner said. “But I’m really happy. Playing here isn’t easy; the ball moves fast. If you want to go further in the tournament, you have to serve very accurately and also have enough speed.”

Since the 2023 Cincinnati Masters, Sinner has improved his record against players ranked outside the top 50 to 38 wins and 0 losses, extending his winning streak on hard courts to 22 matches. This momentum began after his loss to Alcaraz in the Beijing China Open final last September, which includes his championship runs at the US Open, ATP Finals, and Australian Open.

Both Sinner and Alcaraz have already secured their spots in the ATP Finals, and in the coming months, they will fiercely compete for the honor of being world number one. Alcaraz is set to appear in Cincinnati on Sunday, currently leading Sinner by 1500 points in the ATP Finals standings.

Sinner's next opponent in the Cincinnati tournament is Canadian player Gabriel Diallo. His goal is to become the first male player to successfully defend his title since Federer in 2014-2015.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)