Federer hopes 'Sincaraz' rivalry can thrill fans at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan 15 : The era-shaping rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has injected fresh energy into men's tennis, 20-times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer said on Thursday as he looked forward to a blockbuster Australian Open showdown between the pair.

The duo dubbed "Sincaraz" have changed the landscape of the men's game by propelling it beyond the long-dominant "Big Three" of Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, thrilling fans and sweeping nine of the last 10 Grand Slam titles between them.

They met in six finals overall last year, including at the French Open, where Alcaraz saved three match points to complete one of the sport's great comebacks in the longest Paris final at five hours and 29 minutes.

"That's why we're here," Federer said about the rivalry that fans and pundits expect to play out in the Australian Open final after title clashes in the other three majors.

"It's a great rivalry. They play incredible tennis and the French Open final was unreal. The game, not that it needed it, but it was great that we had it.

"For a moment, the sporting world stood still and watched what was going on in Paris in that epic fifth set. It could have ended sooner for Jannik and then all of a sudden it ended up in this crazy fashion. It was maybe one of the greatest matches.

"It's good we still live off that momentum and they backed it up by playing each other in all those other finals. Everybody else has tried to keep up while they're trying to pull away."

CAREER SLAM VS THREEPEAT

The 22-year-old Alcaraz is chasing his first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam while the 24‑year‑old Sinner is targeting his third straight Melbourne Park crown to assert a dominance