'I see you more than my family': Alcaraz-Sinner drives tennis dominance
After defeating Jannik Sinner to win the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz joked that he is seeing his rival more than his own family, underscoring the intensity of the sport's new defining rivalry. The duo has now claimed all four majors this year, with Alcaraz emphasizing that this high-stakes competition is pushing both players to continually develop and improve their games.
The new era of men's tennis is officially defined by two names: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. After the Spaniard clinched the US Open title against the Italian, Alcaraz highlighted the constant presence of his rival, quipping during his victory speech: "I'm seeing you more than my family."
Read More ›
This season, the two stars have contested five finals, including the last three Grand Slam trophy matches, a clear sign that their collective grip on the ATP Tour is tightening. Alarmingly for the rest of the field, this rivalry is serving as a catalyst, forcing both players to reach even greater heights.
Alcaraz explained his motivation, saying: "I give 100% every day to improve, sitting down with the team to see what I can do better to beat Jannik and win these kind of trophies. Having this rivalry means a lot—it is super special for me, for him and for the people who enjoy every it single time we play."
How Alcaraz tipped the balance
Following his loss to Sinner in the Wimbledon final two months ago, Alcaraz and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, immediately identified what needed to be fixed for the rematch in New York—though they are keeping those exact adjustments a closely guarded secret.
Read More ›
Alcaraz was arguably the most dominant player at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a set until the final, largely due to a significant improvement in his serve and mental game. Ferrero confirmed that improving the serve was a key goal at the start of the year. The statistics from the tournament underline his success: he won 97% of his service games and faced only 10 break points throughout the event.
Beyond technique, Alcaraz attributed his success to a newfound maturity and laser-focus, which helped him play with greater variety and precision in rallies. "I feel it is best tournament I've played from the first round to the end," he said.
Sinner's need for change
While Sinner had been marginally more successful over the past two seasons (despite missing time due to a doping suspension), Alcaraz's latest win ended the Italian's 65-week reign as world number one.
Sinner, who had cruised to the final by dropping only two sets, admitted that his clinical, metronomic baseline game ultimately made him "predictable" against Alcaraz.
MORE FROM FANATİK
"I didn't make one serve-volley, didn't use a lot of drop shots, and then you arrive to a point where you play Carlos and have to go out of the comfort zone," Sinner confessed after the final. He stated that his focus now will be on becoming more "unpredictable" to overcome his rival.
Read More ›
The rest of the field
With Sinner in Melbourne and London, and Alcaraz in Paris and New York, the two young stars have swept all four majors in 2025, leaving Alcaraz with six major titles to Sinner's four.
Their level of play is demonstrably far ahead of the competition. Remarkably, the 38-year-old Novak Djokovic remains their closest challenger. While players like Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz lack the necessary belief or tools, emerging talents like Britain's Jack Draper and America's Ben Shelton possess the explosive power to compete if they can find greater consistency.
As Ferrero noted, the high bar set by Alcaraz and Sinner is now the gold standard: "They know where the level is and where they have to go."
