Incredible dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner may not be the best thing for tennis, or them
The top two are almost 8,000 points ahead of No 3 Alexander Zverev and are mopping up every tile, but is it becoming too boring?
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy | © MARY EVANS/SIPA/2604121711
It’s a dominance fast becoming like few others in tennis history. They still have a way to go to match the rivalry of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, mind, but Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are setting new standards in the men’s game.
Navratilova and Evert met 80 times – 60 of them in finals – which is a record that surely will never be broken. From the start of 1982 to the end of 1986, they won all but one of the 19 Grand Slams to be played. Don’t forget Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, either, who won 23 of the 25 Grand Slams between the 1988 and 1994 Australian Opens. The latter would doubtless have been even more, but for the horrific stabbing of Seles by a crazed fan in the summer of 1993.
The dominance of both players was incredible, and their brilliance lifted the sport to new heights. At the same time, though, the fact that they were always in the finals drew some criticism, with some people feeling tennis had become too boring.
It’s a two-edged sword, of course. Tennis needs rivalries to be successful, just like other sports. But if one player or team is utterly dominant, it can get a little stale. Now, Alcaraz and Sinner are being met with the same criticism, despite the fact that they are playing some of the best tennis we’ve ever seen and despite the fact that this year, as it was in the Monte-Carlo final, the No 1 ranking could be on the line almost week in week out.
Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last nine Grand Slam events, with Alcaraz edging it 5-4. In the past two years, when the pair have both been in any ATP Tour draw (not including Novak Djokovic’s brilliant Olympics win in 2024), one of them has won the title every time, except in Madrid in 2024, when Sinner withdrew in the quarter-finals.
It’s a stunning statistic and one that could easily leave the rest of the field feeling a little hopeless, almost like they’re competing in a different competition.
PAT Cash: YOU WANT TO THINK MORE PEOPLE CAN WIN
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes there needs to be more competition at the top.
“Because there’s only two players that anybody wants to see, it’s damaging for the Tour,” he said, in an interview at the Australian Open this year. “It should be more than two players. Especially if at the 500s, or 1000s, or somebody pulls out of the Davis Cup, or whatever it happens to be, everybody goes, uhh. You don’t want that to happen.
“I think Grand Slams are slightly different, because it’s a big two-week tournament and having other players in the different players in the semi-finals or whatever is kind of good. But when the majority of the tennis world just wants to see two players playing in a final, and it doesn’t happen, then what?
“For the Tour, you want to have more people out there to watch and think, somebody else can win the tournament.”
Cash has no issue with Alcaraz and Sinner themselves, and loves watching them play each other. When the pair meet, they tend to produce unbelievable matches, as at the French Open final last year, when Alcaraz saved three match points before coming back to win. The contrast in styles make for great viewing.
But when they’re busy beating up on their closest rivals, it’s almost like the whole field expects them to make every final. Sinner has beaten world No 3 Alexander Zverev eight times in a row; Alcaraz has won four of the last five against the German. Novak Djokovic, the No 4, beat Sinner brilliantly in Australia this year, but the Italian won their past five clashes.
Jokes in the locker room
The dominance has led to some banter in the locker room, according to Alcaraz.
“It’s something we don’t talk too much about but there are some players that make some jokes about it,” he said in Monte-Carlo.
(But) the thing is…we’re not like superheroes and we’re going to win every match. (Monte-Carlo is)…the first meeting in 2026, so that means that we lost in the previous rounds before. So let’s see.
“I’m seeing other players, as well, catching us up, and let’s see how it’s going to be. Personally, I’m just happy that every time that I lose or every time that Jannik lose, I think we learn from that loss, and then we come back the next tournament even better.”
CHASING PACK NEED TO STEP UP
Perhaps that’s the message, that the rest of the field need to catch up. And they do. The gap between the top two and No 3 Zverev is almost 8,000 points. To put that into perspective, 8,000 points would often be enough to be No 1.
When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal came along, their dominance was first threatened, then matched by Novak Djokovic, with the trio’s rivalry and great as any. It’s hardly the fault of Alcaraz and Sinner that they are so dominant, but for the sake of tennis – and even their own games – they need some of the younger breed to step up, and soon.
And when the likes of Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien and perhaps new Spanish sensation Rafa Jodar do bridge the gap, then Alcaraz and Sinner will have to lift their games again, like Federer did when Nadal arrived, like Djokovic made them both do. And that will be a good thing for everyone.
