Alcaraz vs Sinner: Who will challenge the dominance of tennis? US Open 2025

Alcaraz is crowned at the US Open 2025! The Spanish tennis player, with a big smile and an effusive celebration, took the title at Arthur Ashe Stadium, before a crowd of 24,000 spectators. However, before any celebration, the champion looked for his rival, Jannik Sinner, to congratulate him. The friendship between the two, rivals on the court, was demonstrated once again with hugs and words of admiration.The match marked the third consecutive encounter in a Grand Slam final between Alcaraz and Sinner, with ticket prices through the roof and the world number 1 at stake. In the end, Alcaraz prevailed with a resounding 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, obtaining his sixth Grand Slam title.

The New Era of Men’s Tennis

The reality of current men’s tennis seems clear: Sinner and Alcaraz dominate, and the rest compete for third place. “I see you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked during the trophy presentation ceremony.Novak Djokovic, after his victory in the quarterfinals, acknowledged the difficulty of facing Alcaraz in the semifinals and Sinner in the final, although he was optimistic. However, Alcaraz defeated him in the semifinals, marking a change of attitude in Djokovic, who admitted the difficulty of overcoming the Sinner-Alcaraz duo in the Grand Slams.This season marks the first since 2002 without members of the “Big Three” (Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal) in a Grand Slam final. The new era is evident, with Alcaraz and Sinner accumulating eight consecutive titles, four each.The question now is: Will anyone else be able to win a major in the near future, considering that neither Alcaraz nor Sinner have reached their full potential?

Two years ago, this question might have sounded far-fetched. At the end of 2023, Alcaraz had two Grand Slam titles and Sinner reached his first semi-final. Djokovic, on the other hand, seemed unstoppable, and at the ATP Finals, he was confident of surpassing the record for Grand Slam titles.Sinner, after being defeated by Djokovic in the ATP Finals, acknowledged that he needed to improve. Two months later, he won the Australian Open, starting the “Sincaraz” era.In 2025, Alcaraz and Sinner have faced each other in the finals of the last three Grand Slams. Alcaraz won Roland Garros and the US Open, while Sinner took Wimbledon. In the last eight majors, they have faced Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev.Taylor Fritz, current world number 4, highlighted the improvement of both players, who have become undisputed dominators. “They motivate the rest to improve,” he stated.

Other players have shown flashes of potential. In the seven Masters 1000 tournaments this year, Alcaraz has won three, while other players like Jack Draper, Jakub Menšík, Casper Ruud, and Ben Shelton have also had success.Ben Shelton, 22 years old, has won three titles and reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. Mary Joe Fernandez believes that Shelton can be a disruptor in the future.

Joao Fonseca, a Brazilian teenager, is another promising name. John Isner believes that Fonseca could be the one to challenge the dominant duo.Currently, Sinner and Alcaraz seem to be in a league of their own, with a difference of almost 5,000 points over Zverev and the rest of the ranking.

During the US Open, both showed overwhelming dominance. Before the final, both had won at least 95% of their service games. Sinner won 42% of his return games, while Alcaraz won around a third. Each had matches lasting less than two hours. Alcaraz’s opponents expressed their admiration, highlighting Carlos’s Grand Slam version.This final marked the second time in the Open Era that two men shared all the Grand Slam titles in two consecutive seasons, matching Federer and Nadal in 2006 and 2007. In addition, they are the first pair in the Open Era to play in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in the same year.Despite this, tennis is unpredictable. Medvedev, who seemed to be the successor to the “Big Three”, has struggled this year. The current situation is a testament to the difficulty of maintaining such a high level for a long time.Although Sinner and Alcaraz are the favorites, the future is uncertain. As in the era of Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal, there is always room for other players to triumph. Patrick McEnroe predicts the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz for the next few years, but does not believe they will win all the titles.