The burning question on everyone's mind when it comes to the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry

(Getty/Sarah Stier)

The changing of the guard is complete, and immediately, the question turns to: Who can challenge this new world order?

After Carlos Alcaraz's stunning US Open victory, the Grand Slam season comes to a close, and with it, the first season in which the same two players have met in three major finals within the same year.

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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did meet in four consecutive finals over the 2010/2011 period, but that spanned two seasons.

Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz have now won the past eight Grand Slam titles between them, dating back to Djokovic's 2023 US Open crown.

They look set to dominate the game for many years to come, with Alcaraz, 22, having won more slams at his current age than Nadal, Djokovic, or Federer had done by the same point, and only one less than if you combine all three of those players' records at the same age.

Sinner, 24, has won three of the last four hard court majors, picked up a maiden Wimbledon title, and came agonisingly close to winning the French Open this year as well, after one of the all-time great finals.

The likes of Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, although a fraction older, emerged around the same time during this current era.

Medvedev has suffered a stunning decline in form, possibly in part due to the anguish of back-to-back heartbreaking Australian Open finals in 2023 and 2024. Medvedev won 85 per cent of matches in 2023, 68 per cent of matches in 2024, but just 54 per cent in 2025.

Mechanically, his serve hold percentage has dropped from 89 per cent to 82 in that same period, and he has been vulnerable to getting dragged forward by some of the top echelon in recent seasons.

Tsitsipas finished in the top six in five consecutive seasons before slumping down to the high teens in recent months, with the 27-year-old seemingly at a crossroads to the point where ex-coach Goran Ivanišević questioned his physical and mental fitness throughout this season.

If those two, who looked set to shine for years, can't climb back into the top echelon, who can?

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Djokovic has worked almost as a gatekeeper in recent seasons. He is still too good for the likes of Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud and Jack Draper, but he is seemingly no longer capable of beating the younger, fresher Alcaraz and Sinner at this stage of his career.

What he has done, though, is keep everyone else away from them, only to get beaten by them himself at the pointy end.

With Djokovic now 38, it seems unlikely he is going to down Sinner and Alcaraz in a best-of-five format, having only done so in one of his last nine meetings against either of them.

Alexander Zverev is now a three-time Grand Slam finalist but lacks the strength on both sides and the consistency within matches to challenge the big two.

One name forecast by a few, including Aussie Luke Saville, is Brazil's João Fonseca, who could be the one to challenge the reigning duo in the future. The teenager has enjoyed a breakout season and is the first player born in 2006 to crack the top 50.

Having defeated Rublev at Melbourne Park, he went on to become the youngest player in 24 years to reach the third round of both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.

"I think everyone sees Fonseca as the next challenger to Carlos and Jannik, who have created the gap to the rivals behind them. Years ago, Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Zverev were the three players everyone saw taking the lead," Saville told Tennis World in August.

British talent Jack Draper claimed 'the fifth major' when he saluted at Indian Wells this year, defeating Alcaraz, Rune, Fonseca and Ben Shelton along the way. He had a marginally underwhelming Grand Slam season after reaching last year's US Open semi-final, but he does have the weapons to cause some problems and is young enough at 23.

Big serving left-hander Shelton is only 22, but he has a few tricks, although limitations on his return game and a 1-9 record against 'Sincaraz' raise concerns.

Rune has a 20-24 record against top 10 players in his career, and is 4-5 against Sinner and Alcaraz — a far better head-to-head than Shelton and Draper. He has also won five titles and spent nearly a year in the top 10. He seems to handle big moments well and could perhaps be the one who asks the most questions.

Jakub Menšík, 19, owns a 4-1 record over the top 10 this year, and took out the Miami title with wins over Draper, Djokovic and Fritz.

The challenge is likely to come from this group of under-23s, given the limitations, 'ceiling' and relative strengths of the likes of Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

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