World No. 1 Jannik Sinner offered a humorous twist to his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters, making it clear he won’t be joining the Spaniard for a round of golf during the tournament. While Alcaraz is known for spending hours on the course in his downtime, Sinner admitted he’s not confident enough in his own skills to go head-to-head with him.
Why Won’t Jannik Sinner Join Carlos Alcaraz for a Round of Golf in Cincinnati?
Fresh off winning his first Wimbledon title, Sinner arrived in Cincinnati as the top seed, kicking off his campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galán after a first-round bye. Meanwhile, Wimbledon runner-up Alcaraz is seeded second in Cincinnati.
The Spaniard received a bye into the second round, where he is set to face Damir Džumhur in a rematch of their 2025 Roland Garros third-round meeting, which the former claimed in four sets.
In an interview with Tennis Channel, host Prakash Amritraj asked Sinner if he is finding his way onto the golf course much. “Yeah, we [he and his team] actually played now a couple of times before the tournament here. I’m not a good golfer, but I love to spend time doing different things,” Sinner said.
“We were just talking maybe now we go because it’s also not late. Tomorrow we have one day off, so maybe we play a couple of holes here. It’s the best place to play golf. In Cincinnati, there’s not so much to do. So, we’re actually lucky that the golf course is there.”
When Amritraj pressed him about golfing with Alcaraz, Sinner smiled and replied, “No no no. Carlos is too good for me. Me and my team, it’s better.”
Golf has long been a favorite off-court pursuit for Alcaraz. The Spaniard frequently posts about his rounds and even participates in golf events during breaks from competition. He was recently seen with fellow ATP pro Casper Ruud during a golf outing in Cincinnati.
Sinner, however, is still new to golf. Coach Darren Cahill humorously highlighted his learning curve in a video from last year, which showed him as a work in progress.
MORE: Carlos Alcaraz Allays Rivalry With Jannik Sinner– ‘I Just Let the People Talk’
Sinner moved into the third round in Cincinnati, where he is slated to meet 30th seed Gabriel Diallo for their first-ever ATP Tour encounter. The victor will go on to face either French qualifier Adrian Mannarino or 13th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round.