The Miami Open semifinals treated tennis fans to a fiery contest between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannick Sinner. Alcaraz came into the match as the World No. 1 and was unsurprisingly, the favorite. However, the tenth-seeded Sinner had other ideas and caused a massive upset, which brought Alcaraz’s World No. 1 status to an end. The explosive clash also reminded viewers of the beginnings of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry.

In the most recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, former Australian Women ace Stubbs commented on the showdown. She also compared Alcaraz and Sinner’s emerging rivalry to the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry, which is arguably the most iconic in tennis history.

Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry is set to emulate Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry, claims Stubbs

According to Stubbs, an interviewer was foolish enough to suggest that Alcaraz’s standards were slipping after his loss to Sinner. In the podcast, Stubbs, who formerly trained Serena Williams, said Alcaraz is “actually the greatest thing that’s ever happened to men’s tennis in 20 years.”

On Alcaraz’s defeat, Stubbs said, “He lost one of the most incredibly intense matches we’ve seen in a long time.” She also suggested that it’s a great time to be a tennis fan by asking, “How lucky are we to have the Carlos-Sinner matchup?”

Subsequently, she went on to say that the rivalry is “literally the new Roger and Rafa”.

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She also reflected on how Federer and Nadal?“really liked each other” and “really respected one another”.

Additionally, she joked how they “beat the sh** out of each other in matches and then shook hands.”

Cramps Prevented Alcaraz From Being at His Very Best

In the epic Miami Open semifinals showdown, Alcaraz made the better start. The Spaniard won the first set, but Sinner came back to win the second. Unfortunately for Alcaraz, the start of the third set was a nightmare, as cramps restricted his play.

Furthermore, a finger injury compounded his problems, and he ended up with 27 unforced errors and 9 double faults. According to Alcaraz, the cramps started after he took a five-minute break following his second set loss. Ultimately, Sinner won the third set 6-2 in a dominant display.

Had Alcaraz been at his best, it’s hard to say if Sinner could have won the third set so convincingly.

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However, all in all, tennis fans should rejoice, as another historic rivalry looks set to take the sport by storm.