Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry has lit up tennis circuit

For many young fans, this developing rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner (which Alcaraz now leads 10-5) is a chance to witness the making of a legend

If two players clash in the final of three out of the four Grand Slams in the year, you know you are onto something. If two players are world No.1 (11,540 points) and No.2 (10,780) by a comfortable margin (Alexander Zverev at No.3 has 5,930), you know you are onto something. And if those two players are aged 22 and 24, you know it is just the start of that journey.

It is heartening that Alcaraz and Sinner have found in the other a rival who will push them to seek even greater heights. (Getty Images via AFP)

Between them, world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and world No.2 Jannik Sinner have won the last eight Grand Slams on the trot (four each), and the gulf between them and the others is massive. It is heartening that each has found in the other a rival who will push them to seek even greater heights. Take Alcaraz out of the picture for Sinner or Sinner for Alcaraz, and things could have almost been too easy for either of them. They could have stagnated or, maybe, got bored. But right now, they are dialled in.

After losing a close match to Alcaraz at the French Open, Sinner went back to the drawing board to win the next Grand Slam (Wimbledon). That defeat at Wimbledon had Alcaraz “studying” the final as preparation for the US Open. And now, a defeat at the US Open has prompted Sinner to say that he needs to become “a bit more unpredictable”. For now, Alcaraz appears to have edged ahead (he has six slams to Sinner’s four), but come the 2026 Australian Open, who knows what Sinner will reveal.

With every Slam, they are improving and changing. Perhaps that is the gift of youth, but then, it is also their genius that allows them to do this. For many young fans, this developing rivalry (which Alcaraz now leads 10-5) is a chance to witness the making of a legend. The Big Three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic) are still a way off — 66 grand slams between them — but the two young men are showing that they could, probably, hold their own against them as well.