It’s the sporting rivalries that have transcended the sport, be it Borg-McEnroe and Evert-Navratilova in the 70s and 80s or Sampras-Agassi in the 90s or Federer-Nadal in the 2000s or Federer-Djokovic/Nadal-Djokovic in the 2010s.
When I was growing up in the 2000s, I got hooked on to tennis due to a certain Swiss player and his rivalry that came soon after with a Spaniard. The early 2000s drew legions of fans to the sport of tennis when one of the greatest rivalries in men’s tennis, or probably in all of sport, started to emerge. Even before the start of a grand slam tournament, the name ‘Fedal’ resounded across sporting media as tennis pundits anticipated the grand slam fortnight to culminate into yet another showdown between the top two players in the world. Roger Federer from Switzerland was world number 1 and Rafael Nadal from Spain was world number 2 and vice-versa post August 2008. Both had vastly contrasting playing styles and personalities.
Every Major trophy in Men’s Singles tennis barring two!*, beginning from the 2005 French Open till the 2010 US Open, was either won by Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Implying, they won a whopping 21 out of 23 grand slams contested between that period, with Federer taking home 12 and Nadal taking home 9. Amongst the 21 matches they played between the 2005 Miami Open and the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals, 18 of them were finals (other 3 were semi-finals)! The contrasting playing styles with each having a different favourite surface (clay for Nadal and grass for Federer) along with the perpetually high stakes made the rivalry even more engaging for tennis fans across the world.
And when another great from Serbia crashed the party to start dominating men’s tennis from 2011 (till now) along with these two, if not more, it gave birth to the big 3, adding two more never-seen-before rivalries – Djokovic vs Nadal and Djokovic vs Federer. During 2003-2023, Men’s tennis witnessed its greatest ever period with the three greatest players of all time battling it out at the same time, year-after-year, winning 66 of the 81 grand slams, spanning from Wimbledon 2003 till US Open 2023.
* Australian Open 2008 was won by Novak Djokovic, defeating Federer in the semi-finals and US Open 2009 was won by Juan Martin Del Potro, defeating Federer in the final 66 of the 81 grand slams, spanning from Wimbledon 2003 till US Open 2023.
2024 is the first year when neither of the big 3 has won a slam in a year since 2002! With Federer having retired in 2022, Nadal not playing for the most part due to injury since the 2022 French Open and Djokovic also nearing a decline, men’s tennis has yearned for a new rivalry to take the reins.
The ‘Sincaraz’ (Sinner & Alcaraz rivalry)
In what could have been a lull post the big 3 era, two exciting young talents have taken over with some authority. While already having shown glimpses of their genius in the last couple of years, Carlos Alcaraz from Spain and Jannik Sinner from Italy have announced their arrival by pocketing two slams each in 2024, with Sinner breaking Djokovic’s stranglehold at the Australian Open (Djokovic had last lost a match at the Australian Open in 2018) in January in the semi-finals and Alcaraz dismantling Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in straight sets (also defeated Djokovic in his first Wimbledon final in 2023).
Sinner became the first ever Italian man or woman to reach world number 1 in Singles this year and Alcaraz was the youngest world number 1 in men’s tennis history when he won his first grand slam – the US Open in 2022.
There is something special about these two when they set out on court. The duo, who seem to be genuinely good friends off the court, have already set themselves apart from the rest of the field. They tend to bring out the best in each other, engaging in tactical battles and entertaining at the same time with thunderous ball-striking and exceptional athleticism. Consistency on both wings and quick court coverage along with the ability to produce their best shots when it really matters has led to early success in their careers.
Their playing styles and personalities may not have the same contrast that you would have witnessed during the great rivalries of the past such as that of a Borg-McEnroe or Fedal or Evert-Navratilova. But their brand of tennis is a sight-to-behold, each trying to outclass the other with a combination of speed, power and touch. Both players possess bludgeoning power to gain the upper-hand early in a rally. Though Alcaraz may possess a slightly superior touch and variation in terms of his drop shots, volleys and spin, Sinner’s flexibility and clean ball-striking from the baseline more than makes up for it.
Sincaraz Statistics
The Sincaraz rivalry started in 2021 when the pair first clashed in the second round of the 2021 Paris Masters 1000, where Alcaraz, world number 35 at the time, upset the world number 9 Sinner in straight sets: 7-6 (1), 7-5. An 18-year-old Alcaraz made a prophetic comment at the time, “I think Jannik and I will have a great rivalry in the future”. Since then, the pair have met eight more times on the ATP tour and their matches have nothing but dazzled. Alcaraz currently leads the head-to-head (H2H) with the slightest of margins: 5-4.
The two have battled on all surfaces, including 3 of the 4 slams, but have only faced each other once in a tournament final – Croatia Open 2022 (ATP 250) in Umag on clay, where Sinner beat Alcaraz, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1.
The match that elevated this rivalry was the late-night 2022 US Open quarterfinal which lasted for 5 hrs and 15 mins (2nd longest US Open match ever at that time), where Alcaraz outlasted Sinner in 5 sets, saving a match point in the 4th set. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, Sinner missed a crosscourt backhand wide off a backhand return from Alcaraz. This match was hailed as one of the best matches ever played at a slam, reflected by both men playing their best tennis at the same time for the majority of the match. They showcased relentless determination throughout the match and the tennis fraternity had sensed what the next decade might entail for these two giants.
While the encounters continued in 2023, it was only in Beijing 2023 when Sinner found a new level and started to dominate the tour. He even beat Alcaraz in the semi-finals of Beijing 2023: 7-6 (4), 6-1 and went on to win the title. He finished 2023 strong, also winning Vienna and making the final in the year-end World Tour Finals and leading his country to a first Davis Cup win since 1976. And 2024 has been his best year till date, winning 2 grand slams and 6 titles till now and becoming world number 1 in June (still world number 1).
In 2024, the pair have met twice, once in the Indian Wells semi-finals and other time in the Roland Garros semi-finals (their most recent meeting). Though both matches went the distance, Alcaraz triumphed both times. The Roland Garros semi-final was not one of their best matches in terms of quality with both players not being able to find their top level. Sinner also suffered from cramps during the 3rd set and still managed to take a two set lead. However, Alcaraz came back with more intensity in the latter stages of the match to win in 5 sets: 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Across their matches, it is Sinner who has usually started stronger, with Alcaraz eventually fighting back. Today, the 10th chapter of Sincaraz is going to unfold in Beijing which will only be their second meeting in a final. Both of them have staggering records in finals with Alcaraz winning 8 of his last 10 finals and Sinner winning 8 of his last 9 finals. Sinner comes into this match in better form, backed by wins in Cincinnati and the US Open and is on a 15-match winning streak.
However, Alcaraz looks refreshed and is brimming with energy, backed by a good performance at the Davis Cup and Laver Cup, which was after a gruelling period starting from Roland Garros -> Wimbledon -> Olympics -> Cincinnati -> till the US Open, hardly getting any rest.
Whoever wins the China Open final, one thing is for certain, we will witness some incredible shot-making from these two incredible talents of our sport. Safe to say, with them at the helm, a new decade beckons for men’s tennis.
