Alcaraz shares private plane to Shanghai with Sinner after epic China Open final

"It's a weird thing, but I think tennis is different than other sports because of it," Alcaraz said at a press conference in Shanghai on Thursday. "We are fighting against each other, three-hour match, really close, he could win, in the end, I got the win, and then two hours later, we are in the same plane, having some laughs, making jokes, talking about life, and we're acting like nothing happened before."

Before that, one of Sinner's coaches, Simone Vagnozzi, posted a photo of the team on a private flight with Alcaraz's team. According to AS, the Spaniard was the one who chartered the flight from Beijing to Shanghai, departing at 2 a.m. on Thursday. The flight had the two tennis stars, their teams and three crew members.

Jannik Sinner (bottom right) in a photo of the flight from Beijing to Shanghai with his team and Carlos Alcaraz (top right) on Oct. 2, 2024. Photo taken from X

"Alcaraz played nice by inviting Sinner to this flight," AS journalist Mariano Martin wrote on his X account. Alcaraz received about US$650,000 for winning the China Open title, while Sinner earned half of that. This is a huge bonus for an ATP 500 event this season.

"We really respect each other," Alcaraz said of his relationship with Sinner, with whom he has often had training trips together over the past two years. "We are not just colleagues, but also friends. Of course, we are not best friends that we can share everything. It's just that we have a good relationship in many aspects."

Alcaraz and Sinner have only 24 hours to rest before playing their first match in Shanghai on Saturday. The tournament actually started the first round in the past two days, but Alcaraz, Sinner and the seeds play in the second round.

The Shanghai Masters is Asia's biggest tennis event, taking place in China's Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena with around 14,000 seats. After a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the tournament returned last year with Hubert Hurkacz winning the title. This year the tournament welcomes former champion Novak Djokovic, who has been in China for a week.

Djokovic complimented the facilities and conditions at the Shanghai Masters and compared them to those at the ATP Finals. He is the most successful player in the history of the tournament, having won the title four times. He is the fourth seed this year, behind Sinner, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

According to the draw results, Djokovic will only meet Alcaraz or Sinner in the final. He will open his campaign with a match against Bu Yunchaokete or Alex Michelsen. Sinner will meet Japanese player Taro Daniel, while Alcaraz will play the rising Chinese player Shang Juncheng. Alcaraz and Sinner can potentially meet again in the semifinals.