Carlos Alcaraz has explained why he can't be friends with Jannik Sinner after texts emerge

Carlos Alcaraz has made it clear why he will never be friends with Wimbledon final opponent Jannik Sinner. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz to reach his third consecutive SW19 final, where he will face the world No.1, who brushed aside Novak Djokovic in his semi-final.

The two dominant players in men's tennis over the past two years finally met in their first grand slam final at the French Open last month, where Alcaraz saved three championship points before winning an epic five-setter lasting five hours and 29 minutes. On Sunday, Centre Court will host the rematch, as 23-year-old Italian Sinner bids for a first Wimbledon title and attempts to gain revenge for that devastating defeat. While there is plenty of healthy respect between the pair, it will never develop into friendship due to competitive rivalry, which could span the next decade.

The Spaniard, 22, told Sky Sports Tennis last year: "Once we are on tour, travelling, at tournaments, on site, we are with our teams and on our own, so we don't speak too much.

"But when we can, we talk a little bit besides tennis, about life. But not too much. It means we have a good relationship but we are not close friends. I think the respect we have puts us in a position that we have a really good relationship."

That stance was maintained by Alcaraz during Sinner's three-month suspension, which expired in May, for returning two positive tests for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year. The Italian reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after claiming he had been inadvertently contaminated while being massaged by a member of his team.

Sinner was pleasantly surprised by the support he received from some within the game but suggested he was disappointed not to have been connected by certain others. He said after returning from his ban: "I received messages from players I didn't expect and I didn't receive anything from others I could expect something from."

Alcaraz wasn't among the fellow players to send a goodwill message to Sinner. Per Marca, he said: "I haven't spoken to him during his disqualification. Everyone looks out for themselves.

"We are not very close. In the end we are also rivals and I can't have a close friendship with a person I want to beat."

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However, Alcaraz stressed that their relationship remained cordial, adding: "I have great respect for him. What he is doing now after being out for three months is incredible. I was very happy to see him back on the circuit. It's normal for him to feel disappointed. But it is what it is."

Alcaraz's stance is similar to the one employed by Djokovic towards Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The Serbian, 38, who intends to play on despite his heavy defeat to Sinner, once said of Nadal, per Corriere Della Sera: "Nadal is only a year older than me, we are both Geminis. At first we even went to dinner together, twice. But even with him, friendship is impossible."

On Federer, he said: "We have never been friends. Between rivals, it is not possible, but we have never been enemies.

"I've always had respect for Federer, he was one of the greatest of all time. He had an extraordinary impact, but I've never been close to him. "