Time to put past behind, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are men’s tennis’s new protagons

If Jannik Sinner, the 23-year-old World No. 1 and heavy tournament favourite, defends his Australian Open title this month, he will become only the third player in the Open Era – after Roger Federer (06-07) and Novak Djokovic (15-16) – to win three consecutive hard court Majors.If Carlos Alcaraz, already the second most successful active men’s tennis player at 21, lifts the season-opening Major trophy, he will become only the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam – winning all four Major titles at least once – in the Open Era.
The narrative of Djokovic, with former rival Andy Murray now in his camp, attempting to script more hory and continue to keep his place among tennis’s elite at the age of 37, may dominate headlines. But there is little doubt that Alcaraz and Sinner are the main protagons of the men’s draw in Melbourne this month.
Nostalgia can be a powerful tool for keeping sport relevant. But the record-breaking success of Alcaraz and Sinner, who swept all four Majors last year, has ushered in the new guard seamlessly despite coming on the heels of the most universally adored generation of tennis players. They are doing it in a style that is earning them a reputation of being dominant-yet-popular athletes; they have built a resonant inter-personal rivalry that has produced some of the best tennis in recent years; they have, in a sense, deemed nostalgia redundant.

Picking up 🐐 habits 😉@carlosalcaraz #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/IiJK3kXjdJ
— Tennis TV (@TennV) May 3, 2023
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The now retired, much loved duo of Federer-Nadal must make way for the emerging Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry. The previous generation, outside of the still-active, still-enthralling Djokovic, now belong to the priceless vault of internet compilations. Their presence is of more value to the statesman-like addresses they will make at public appearances than to modern-day tennis.
Perhaps, in a slice of fortune for the sport, Alcaraz and Sinner have allowed that transition to be smooth rather than awkward.
Leading the tour
It may be a product of the eccentric tennis ranking system that Sinner and Alcaraz are not the top two seeds at the Australian Open, but they proved in 2024 that they are a league above the others in the matches that matter. Being on opposing sides of the draw opens up the possibility of them extending their already famous rivalry facing off in a Major final for the first time.
It is not a stretch to say the duo have produced the very best that men’s tennis has to offer, arguably playing out the match of the year in each of the last three seasons. Their contrasting approaches and personalities have made for plenty of enthralling contests already.
Sinner comes into the tournament with uncertainty persing over a potential ban. The Italian was exonerated after failing two doping tests in March after he successfully appealed his case of accidental contamination, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), the hearing for which is yet to be scheduled.
The storm that has swirled around him has not been a deterrent to his form on the court. He put together one of the greatest seasons of the ATP era last year after winning two Majors, six other titles including the year-end Finals and a title defence at the Davis Cup, and finishing his year with a whopping win-loss percentage of 92.4%. He arrives in Melbourne as the big tournament favourite again, even if he has a slightly tricky route, with a first-round encounter against the big-hitting Nicolas Jarry, against whom he has struggled in the past. A potential quarterfinal against home favourite Alex de Minaur also awaits.
Sinner’s refined aggressive baseline playing style may be dominant, but it is a subtler niche compared to the overwhelming version of it played Alcaraz, who is all energy, elasticity and charisma. Alcaraz’s ever-expanding highlight reel gained him a hefty fan following even before he followed it up with four Majors, but he lacks consency. The Spaniard had a banner year in 2024 – finishing with the French Open-Wimbledon double and silver medal at the Olympics – but he ended it on a tame note with early losses at the US Open and ATP Finals.
Alcaraz may seek Sinner’s steadiness, but the high points in his game – the ceiling of the level he can produce – are considerably higher than that of his Italian counterpart. That is part of the reason why Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 6-4, winning each of their three encounters last year; and why the Spaniard has won Majors across the three surfaces.
The Spaniard has a hory of peaking on the big stage, and if he is seeking time to get match sharpness and fitness before the business end of this tournament, he may be blessed with an easier route to the second week in Melbourne, where a lurking Djokovic may await in a potential blockbuster quarterfinal.
Djokovic is entering what could be the most intriguing phase of his career – having established himself as the best of the previous generation, he wishes to be an equal of this one. His favourite tournament may be the perfect venue to rebuild himself after a poor 2024, but his path, as the seventh seed, is a perilous one. Promising Czech Tomas Machac, big-serving Reilly Opelka who just beat him in Brisbane, and old foe Grigor Dimitrov are waiting before he may face the Spaniard.
For the Serb to extend his record to 25 Majors, it looks likely that he will have to go through at least one, if not both, of Sinner and Alcaraz. No player on tour, not even a hory-maker like him, has looked capable of doing so recently.

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