Jannik Sinner made his anger at rival clear with 'Roger Federer never would' blast

Jannik Sinner is usually ice-cool on court - but every now and then, even he lets his frustration show. The Italian, who, together with Carlos Alcaraz, has a stanglehold on tennis's biggest titles, burst onto the scene back in 2020. His first major breakthrough at a Grand Slam came that year at the French Open, where he reached the quarter-finals after claiming his biggest scalp in Alexander Zverev during the fourth round.

After losing in four sets, Zverev atrributed the defeat to a fever - a claim that didn't sit well with Sinner. A few months later, the now-24-year-old blasted Zverev for "making excuses", insisting legends like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would never invoke such antics. "I respect him [Zverev] a lot because he's won more than me, he's got more experience on the circuit, and he's a great player," Sinner told Corriere. "However, I do not respect his statements after his defeat to me at Roland Garros."

Sinner added: "He contradicted himself a lot. He said he had a fever, but in the third and fourth sets, he ran more than me. It seems to me that he was looking for an excuse after his defeat. Federer or Nadal, for example, would never have said such things."

That first meeting between the pair went Sinner's way, but the early stages of their rivalry belonged to Zverev. The German won the next four encounters, asserting the upper hand for a time. In the past couple of years, though, the script has flipped. Sinner took the next three matches, turning the tide decisively in his favour.

Their most high-profile clash came earlier this year in the Australian Open final - the first time they'd met since Sinner became a trophy-hoovering Grand Slam champion. Zverev, still chasing his maiden major, was desperate to finally break through. But Sinner had other ideas, dispatching him in straight sets to claim his third of four Grand Slam titles.

Sinner and Zverev have both been in action at the Paris Masters this week, each advancing to the latter stages of the tournament. Zverev is the defending champion, having lifted the trophy last year after defeating Ugo Humbert in the final. Sinner last competed at the event in 2023 but was forced to withdraw ahead of his third-round match due to injury.

Zverev, 27, may still be chasing his first Grand Slam title, but he's been agonisingly close on several occasions. He has reached three major finals - losing to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, to Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open and most recently to Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open.

Despite his continued pursuit of that elusive breakthrough, Zverev insists his focus isn't solely on winning a Slam. His main goal, he says, is to close the gap on both Sinner and Alcaraz - and he believes that once he does, the titles will follow. "To be able to compete with Carlos and with Jannik. That's more on my mind. The titles will come if I do that."

He does, however, have something Sinner, Alcaraz - and even Federer - don't: an Olympic gold medal. Zverev captured the title at the Tokyo 2020 Games, defeating Karen Khachanov in the final and joining an elite list of champions that includes Andy Murray (2012 and 2016) and Nadal (2008) and Novak Djokovic (2024).

If Sinner and Alcaraz are the new standard-bearers of the men's game, Zverev is the seasoned challenger refusing to fade quietly. And as all three march toward another defining season, tennis fans can be sure of one thing: the era of youth has not just arrived - it's ruling with an iron grip.