After an absorbing first set, Sinner's understandable lack of match toughness saw Alcaraz dance to victory in Rome.

Sinner’s warm hug with Alcaraz at the net after the defeat suggests that the Italian was not talking about Alcaraz when he made those comments

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his résumé.