Sinner and Alcaraz: Could They Be The Next Big 2? 

For the last two decades in professional tennis, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have been known as the Big 3. Sharing a total of 66 Grand Slam titles, the game of tennis has been dominated by these three players from 2003 to 2024. Having some of the most famous matches in tennis history, they achieved title after title, combining to set the record for the longest number of weeks at world number one (947 weeks in total). However, in the last few years, the reign of the Big 3 has slowly declined. Federer retired in September of 2022, after his loss with Nadal in the final doubles match in the Laver Cup. After suffering from multiple injuries, Nadal retired in November of 2024. Djokovic, however, is the only one still fighting. He currently has the all time record for most weeks at number one (428 weeks), and the most Grand Slams won (24). Even though he has made remarkable feats in tennis and still continues to perform at a great level, Djokovic has recently faced two players that have kept him from winning his 25th Grand Slam. Those players are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. 

At the young ages of 17 and 15, Sinner and Alcaraz went pro in 2018, and ever since then, they’ve been working their way to the top. The two had their first match against each other in 2019, and it was clear that their ages were not going to stop them from competing against the best players in the world. Sinner and Alcaraz have played each other a total of 15 times, where Alcaraz leads the head to head 10-5. Normally this wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, however, the matches between Alcaraz and Sinner have been full out battles, most resulting in four to five set, three to five hour matches, where the players have produced some of the best tennis seen in a long time. The two have met most recently in the finals of three out of four Grand Slams held in 2025, with Alcaraz winning both Roland Garros (the French Open) and the US Open, meanwhile Sinner won his first Wimbledon Championship. Tennis fans are ecstatic about the player’s rivalry, comparing it to the rivalry between Nadal and Federer. Social media has played a very significant role in the spread of news about matches and results, and fans have even started referring to Sinner and Alcaraz’s on-court relationship as “Sincaraz,” saying things like, “I hope we get another Sincaraz final!” Recently, the players have met each other so often that Carlos Alcaraz has even said, “I’m seeing you (Sinner) more than my family!” 

Despite the 2025 tennis season coming to an end, fans are speculating what next year’s season will look like. Will we have another year of “Sincaraz” finals? If Alcaraz and Sinner continue to grow and play at the levels they have this year, there is a chance that they could dominate the game of tennis for a long time. Could they be the next “Big 2?”