Jannik Sinner believes his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz has pushed him to be a better player and can drive greater interest in tennis, ahead of their meeting in the French Open final.

Sinner dispatched 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in three sets on Friday, reaching his first showpiece match on the clay at Roland-Garros.

The Italian's great rival Alcaraz lies in wait, after the Spaniard's semi-final opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired injured after four sets earlier on Friday.

Sunday's showpiece match is the first between Sinner and Alcaraz in a grand slam final, and the first time two men born after 2000 will face off for a major title.

Alcaraz has won seven of the 11 tour-level meetings between the players, also winning two of their three meetings on clay, in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros last year and in the final of last month's Italian Open.

While Sinner admits his rivalry with Alcaraz has some way to go to match those between tennis' 'Big Three' of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, he believes it has the potential to do so.

"It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner said at Friday's post-match press conference.

"For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him.

"I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. 

"There can be so many different rivalries, and other players joining or one drops. You never know."

1 - The #1 & #2 have both reached Singles finals at a single Major for the first time since US Open 2013 (Djokovic, Nadal, S. Williams and Azarenka) and for the first time at RG since 1984 (McEnroe, Lendl, Navratilova and Evert). Contest. #RolandGarros | @rolandgarros @atptour pic.twitter.com/tqvWIkIvBd

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) June 6, 2025

22-year-old Alcaraz could become the youngest player to win the men's singles title at Roland-Garros in consecutive seasons since Nadal won four consecutive titles between 2005 and 2008.

"He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said of his opponent. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. 

"In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better.

"In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis."

Djokovic also believes the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz is good for tennis, though he believes they need time to reach the level of the 'Big Three'.

"At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic said.

"But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs."