"Insulting to both Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner" - Fans slam journalist after Spaniard dismisses 'lazy' Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi comparison

Carlos Alcaraz was recently asked by a journalist if he feels that his tennis rivalry with Jannik Sinner is similar to the iconic soccer rivalry shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The journalist though, brought up a stereotype that has existed in soccer circles for some time now; that Messi is the one with the talent and Ronaldo relies on sheer hard work. Several tennis fans slammed the journalist while reacting to Alcaraz's answer to the question.

The Spaniard's interaction with the journalist took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the reigning World No. 1 is currently participating at the 2025 Six Kings Slam, a high-profile exhibition tournament with a $6 million winner's paycheck.

Here, Alcaraz, while acknowledging the journalist's question because of his own fondness for soccer, dismissed the notion that he is at the top of men's tennis right now because of talent alone and Sinner is closest to him due to just hard work. The six-time Major champion said:

"Well, probably it could be like that, but it's a great comparison, I'm just really happy that I have comparisons like that in the tennis side, but yeah, probably he's more of a hard worker and I have more talent, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have talent or I don't have hard work, so it's between both, but I think it's a good one."

Subsequently, fans on Reddit criticized the journalist for 'insinuating' that Carlos Alcaraz doesn't work hard and Jannik Sinner doesn't possess talent.

"These insinuations are insulting to both parties involved. Glad he clarified it," one fan wrote. "This is such a lazy stereotype. Carlos was trying to be polite as usual but I kind of wish he'd shut it down rather than agreeing," commented another, wishing for a stronger response from the Spaniard. "Its 2025 and people still think Ronaldo is all hard work and no talent and the opposite for Messi," another fan chimed in. "I like that he clarified it at the end because Messi just having talent and not working hard is one of the biggest misconceptions in the history of sport," stated one. "He was so polite. If it was me, I'd just go "Why don't you work really hard and play me or Sinner in 5 years?"," another added. "Imagine thinking you become tennis #1 player without hard work and discipline...," weighed in yet another fan.

"We push each other to the limit every time" - Carlos Alcaraz on rivalry with Jannik Sinner after defeating Italian to win US Open 2025

Jannik Sinner (left) and Carlos Alcaraz (right) after the conclusion of the men's singles final at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

Not long after winning his second US Open title this year, Carlos Alcaraz made a special appearance on NBC's TODAY show. Here, he spoke up about the rivalry he shares with Jannik Sinner and their present-day dominance in contemporary men's tennis, particularly spanning tennis' four Majors, which haven't seen a champion other than the Spaniard or Italian since Novak Djokovic won the US Open two years ago.

"I think we push each other to the limit every time. My practices are just focused to see how I can be better just to beat Jannik. So I think the rivalry, it is special, splitting Grand Slams, fighting for the great things," Alcaraz said.

Carlos Alcaraz is set to lock horns once more with Jannik Sinner, this time for the $6 million prize money in the final of the 2025 Six Kings Slam. The Italian is the defending champion at the exhibition event, having defeated the Spaniard in the final of its inaugural edition in 2024.

Edited by Sudipto Pati