They can create phony wars, phony viruses, phony drugs, phony allies, phony news… but they can’t create a phony tennis rivalry.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will face off again in the ATP Finals in Turin but the only people who seem to care are a handful of hardcore fans and the establishment media mouthpieces on social media.
The two Nike Rolex champions do play sensational tennis, firing their laser beam shots and darting around the court with speed and agility that can awe the spectator.
However this rivalry may be astounding on the surface, it is completely devoid of any substance, tension, grudge or drama.
What makes a rivalry special is a little bit of animosity and hostility and ego warfare between the two combatants. Like when Boris Becker flirted with Brooke Shields during one of their memorable duels. Or Andre Agassi saying Pete Sampras looked like he swung out of a tree and if they switched lives and lifestyles they both would be miserable. Or the Djokovic vs Fedal wars which everybody knew how much the old guard resented the fearless ambition of the young stud. Seles vs Graf was also a fascinating rivalry because of the contrasting styles, personalities and also because we knew the last thing on earth Queen Steffi wanted to do was to relinquish her throne to Princess Monica.
Carlos and Sinner try too hard to pretend they are phony friends with their phony conversations and embraces which is probably prompted by deep state and sponsor manipulation.
A rivalry has to form and evolve naturally without any external tampering. I won’t watch a point of Sinner vs Alcaraz but I can’t wait to see the ATP Champaign Challenger final Stefan Kozlov vs Murphy Cassone because of how important it is for each player to earn the points and money involved and to generate the confidence and momentum that a Challenger title can instill in a player for the forthcoming new season, not to mention the respect and value it gives to the player’s aura and status.
The best rivalry right now might be Murphy Cassone vs Mitchell Krueger. The two Americans have played three times this year and all three duels were three setters…
Sioux Falls Challenger R32 Cassone 76 36 62
Tiburon R16 Krueger 36 76 62
Delray Beach Q1 Cassone 75 26 76
Carlos Alcaraz · Jannik Sinner · Mitchell Krueger · Murphy Cassone
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