ATP Tour
World Cup-winning rugby captain Colisi comments on Alcaraz-Sina match: ‘It was a huge game’
Felix and Federer friends Springbok icons visit Nitto ATP Finals
November 16, 2025
Jack Howell/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz and South African rugby star Siya Kolisi make an appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin on Saturday.
Andy West
Like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Sia Colisi enjoyed victory in Turin on Saturday.
A two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain of South Africa, Kolisi guided the Springboks to a 32-14 win over Italy at the city’s Allianz Stadium, where home favorites Sinner were beating Alex de Minaur to book a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals championship.
Hours later, Kolisi was at the Inalpi Arena to watch Alcaraz defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime and set up a blockbuster title fight with his arch-rival Sinner. This will be the sixth Lexus ATP head-to-head match between the two in 2025. As a die-hard tennis fan, Kolisi knows the importance of the competition between the two.
“I’m very excited. I think it’s a big tournament,” Kolisi told ATPTour.com ahead of Sunday’s final, which is scheduled to take place at 6pm CET / 12pm ET on Sunday. “Obviously, Sinner has home advantage here. He’s from here, but I don’t think Alcaraz is thinking about that because he’s such a strong player and he showed what he can do tonight. It’s going to be great.”
wilderness @SiyaKolisi reaction to meeting @carlosalcaraz First time meeting 😂😂😂#NittoATP Finals | #corisi pic.twitter.com/mfRBoSdLtV
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 15, 2025
Colisi met Alcaraz for the first time in Turin earlier this week and made no secret of his excitement at meeting the PIF ATP No. 1 player. He also finally met Auger-Aliassime, with whom he frequently exchanges messages of support via social media.
“This is the first time I’ve watched Carlos play live, and it’s also the first time I’ve watched Felix play live.” The 32-year-old Colisi said after witnessing Alcaraz’s 6-2, 6-4 victory in the semifinals. “I’m here because of Felix. [He and I] Keep talking and supporting each other on social media. We had planned to meet and this was the opportunity to meet.
“[The match] very good. It’s tough. Alcaraz was very strong today, but you can’t deny Felix’s effort either. Alcaraz deserved this fight, but Felix will rise again. ”
Felix Auger-Aliassime/Siya Kolisi” style=”width: 100%;” src=”
Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Siya Kolisi at the Nitto ATP Finals on Saturday night. Photo credit: Jack Howell/ATP Tour
Auger-Aliassime is not the first tennis star Kolisi has befriended. The former world number one has been close to Roger Federer (Federer’s mother Lynette is from South Africa) ever since he came out to support the Springboks during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. When asked what he admires most about tennis players and the way they play, the rugby star quoted the Swiss.
“I learned from listening to Roger Federer,” Colisi said. “When you concede a point you have to forget about it and move on to the next point. He said he conceded a lot of points but he won [so many] match. It’s the ability to keep moving forward. You lose a point and then you change your mentality to win the next point. And when you win a game, you can’t dwell on it anymore. Move on to the next one. This mentality is so strong and powerful. ”
Kolisi led his country to Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023 and has since traveled with Federer to support the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports early education projects in six countries including South Africa and Switzerland. However, their friendship has not yet extended to playing tennis together. Kolisi would like to, but isn’t sure if his skills are at the level required to face off against the six-time Nitto ATP Finals champion.
“I tried playing tennis, but I was terrible,” Colisi said. “I want to play [with Roger]. He has a charity race that I would love to attend one day. I suck, there’s no other way to put it, but I’ll start somewhere! ”
