SINNER, ALCARAZ MIGHT HAVE JUST BROKEN THE ATP TOUR, AND THAT'S BAD NEWS FOR THE REST
- Val Febbo
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
That final, wow.
It was everything the tennis world hoped for and more, an incomparable masterpiece that will stand the test of time as one of the greatest matches ever played.
The 2008 Wimbledon was thought to be the best for the next 50 years, but this has come remarkably close in terms of skill, tenacity, drama, and pageantry.
But Federer and Nadal had already announced themselves at that stage, winning all but one of the previous 14 majors, while also meeting in the final of six at that stage.
This was the first for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and the level produced might just have broken the ATP Tour.
What that means is that the level produced by the duo has sent a stern message to the other Grand Slam hopefuls that they will need to produce form that is otherworldly to enter the same stratosphere as this dynamic pair.
Observing the gruelling rallies and punishing groundstrokes across the five-hour and 29-minute thriller, it begs the question: which players have they just shut out from ever winning a Grand Slam?
This may sound harsh, but after the exhibition in which the 23-year-old Italian and 22-year- old Spaniard put together, one can't help but think that the stalwarts of the top of the men's game in Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev might not ever break through for their maiden major titles.
Zverev has played in three finals, squandering a two-set-to-love lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, a two-set-to-one cushion against Alcaraz in Paris last year and a humbling demolition at the hands of Sinner in Melbourne in January.
The German's form in recent months has been shaky, and he was unable to make any inroads into Sinner's gap at the top of the rankings throughout his three-month suspension.
He has progressed to the semi-finals at just one tournament since the Australian Open, which was on home soil in Munich; a week that saw him clinch his 24th career title.
Many of the defeats have come to players whom he would normally defeat, including Tallon Griekspoor, Alexandre Müller and Francisco Comesana, as well as being unable to combat the 38-year-old Novak Djokovic at Roland-Garros.
Yes, Djokovic played at a completely sublime level, but he was subsequently dispatched by Sinner in straight sets come the semi-final despite maintaining much of that form.
How can Zverev compete with that?
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He even alluded to that fact after the 2025 Australian Open final, admitting Sinner had him covered in all facets of the game.
"He completely outplayed me," Zverev confessed.
"From the back of the court, he completely outplayed me. I'm serving better than him, but that's it. He does everything else better than me.
"He moves better than me. He hits his forehand better than me. He hits his backhand better than me. He returns better than me. He volleys better than me."
And he's not wrong. Sinner and Alcaraz have him completely covered on this form, and even if Zverev can overcome one of them, it seems like it would almost be impossible to defeat both.
It is eerily similar to the 'Fedal' dominance of the mid to late Naughties.
Turning attention to Tsitsipas, who has seemed a shadow of his former self for a while.
The Greek star is even further off the pace, dropping out of the top-20 for the first time since 2018 and seemingly at a loss for how to combat the post-Big Three era.
Nobody expected such dominance so soon, or they expected Tsitsipas to be a part of the new wave of champions to take tennis by storm.
Alas, his two major finals have been disasters, dropping a two-set lead to Djokovic in Paris four years ago and falling to the Serb again at the 2023 Australian Open in straight sets.
Since that loss two years ago, Tsitsipas has won just three titles and boasts a combined one win from six matches against Sinner and Alcaraz.
Despite still only 26, his loss to Matteo Gigante at Roland-Garros could be enough to rule him out of ever contending for one of the sport's four major trophies again.
Then comes Rublev, a man who has never even reached the semi-finals of a Slam.
Having dropped to his lowest ranking since 2019, the 27-year-old also looks like time may have just passed him by, especially following the brutal level shown by this 'Sincaraz' rivalry.
His combined record against the pairing is four wins and nine losses, which has slowly swayed against him in recent years.
The games of Sinner and Alcaraz seem to have the answers to the Russian, which is cause for concern as he nears his 30s.
Does the rise of 'Sincaraz' also rule Djokovic out? The 24-time Grand Slam champion will hope not, but it is increasingly difficult to see even him being able to combat both of them, especially considering the comparisons between himself and Sinner.
Daniil Medvedev seems to be in the same boat, with dips in form and hunger plaguing him in 2025, his tally is increasingly looking like it will remain at one major.
Then comes Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud. Can any of them really trouble this duopoly at the top of the sport across five sets?
New world No.4 Jack Draper may just possess the weapons, while Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti have produced tennis that might just help them ascend to major glory.
But the only other player that could enter the fray at this stage is João Fonseca, with the Brazilian already showing that he is not to be underestimated. Could he be the missing piece to tennis’ next Big Three?
It is still too early to say, but what is known is that winning majors is still going to be as, if not
more difficult than when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were at their peaks.
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