The path appears paved for a new era of great tennis rivalry. The Italian Jannik Sinner, 23, and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 21, already dominate the men’s circuit – each won two of the four 2024 titles in the Grand Slam series, which brings together the main tournaments –, with a level clearly higher than the competition .
They are the main heirs of the group called the “Big 3”, which ruled the sport for two decades with the Swiss Roger Federer, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal and the Serbian Novak Djokovic. Federer and Nadal are already enjoying their retirements, but Djokovic, at 37, says he still has wood to burn and promises to bother the pair.
Even this year, the first since 2002 without any Grand Slam trophy given to a member of the old trio, Novak triumphed in the championship he set as a priority. After 24 victories in Slams, something that no other man achieved, he finally received the Olympic gold medal: in the final, at the Roland Garros complex, he won a great game against Alcaraz.
“I feel like I can still play at the highest level. Sinner and Alcaraz have established themselves as the two best in the world, not to mention the [alemão Alexander] Zverev. They will be the main candidates to win the Slams and other tournaments, but physically and mentally I am ready to play my tennis and challenge these guys. My experience could come in handy,” he said.
Note that the previous logic has been reversed. It is Djokovic who feels like the challenger. The question is whether the new owners of the circuit will have the longevity and dominance of the previous ones – in 2023, when the Serbian won the US Open, the “Big 3” established a sequence of 66 titles out of a possible 79 in Grand Slams.
“Winning the first two Slams and becoming number one is one thing. Maintaining that level for years is another,” warned Djokovic, asked about advice to give to Sinner. “But it seems like he’s doing fine without my advice,” he laughed.
It really is. After triumphing at the US Open this year, the top-ranked Italian became the first man to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season since Argentine Guillermo Villas in 1977.
Alcaraz’s resume is even more impressive. Current number three in the world (not even number two, Zverev, thinks the ranking matches reality), he already has four Slams at the age of 21. Record holder Djokovic, for comparison, reached his fourth at 24.
The tennis world is ready for years of Alcaraz vs. Sinner. They know this and are already used to talking about each other like Federer and Nadal did.
“He drives me to be better. I get up in the morning thinking of ways to beat him,” said Sinner, with a personality more Federer than Nadal, in turn more similar to his compatriot Alcaraz. “On the court, we’re different. He brings the firepower, engages the crowd. It’s like fire and ice.”
“We’ll see what the next few years will be like,” Alcaraz responded. “I hope he’s on the circuit for a long time because he pushes me to be a better player every day. He pushes me to train 100% to beat him. It’s great. I hope we have the rivalry that the Big 3 had. “
What sets the duo apart from much of the competition is their ability to be aggressive with few mistakes. Opponents try to respond in the same style, but generally have less consistency and precision when exchanging the ball.
“It’s not the nature of my game. I hesitate a little when I try to be aggressive. But I’m trying,” said Norwegian Casper Ruud, 25, world number six, in similar reasoning to that presented by Alexander Zverev, 27.
“When they get an easier ball, when they are in an attacking position, 90% of the time the point is over, whether with a winner or an unforced error. That’s how aggressive they are, that’s the strength that put it on the racket. In this aspect, I can improve. That’s what I’m trying to do”, said the German.
Challengers, young or not so young, are ready. But what could also be a stumbling block in the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry is the Italian’s doping case. In March this year, an examination carried out at the Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells revealed the presence of the banned substance clostebol in the athlete’s body.
He convinced Itia (International Tennis Integrity Agency) that the small amount detected was the result of accidental contamination and was acquitted. A physiotherapist –later fired– allegedly used a spray with the anabolic agent on his own skin before touching Sinner’s wounds.
Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) appealed the decision and took the case to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). For Olivier Niggli, director of the agency, “there is a responsibility of the athlete in relation to those around him”. New hearings on the topic are scheduled for the beginning of 2025.
