‘Who can stop them?’: Insane numbers behind tennis takeover as ‘Big 3’ left in the dust

As Carlos Alcaraz celebrated a historic triumph in New York over Jannik Sinner with a level he later described as perfect, Australian legend Rod Laver was among the many pondering an intriguing question.

With the Sinner-Alcaraz tandem act already firmly entrenched among the great rivalries in sport, the last man to complete the Grand Slam asked; “Who can stop these two?”

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Tennis can move swiftly. But it is astounding to consider just how swiftly the Spanish sensation and iconic Italian have taken over the tour to a position where they are the dominant forces by a distance.

It is two years since Novak Djokovic held aloft the US Open trophy to complete a remarkable season in which he was denied a Grand Slam only by Alcaraz in an epic Wimbledon final.

It was a season that continued the near-two decade long domination of the Big Three of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in majors, a period punctuated by cameos from Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro, Marin Cilic and Daniil Medvedev.

The eight majors since Djokovic’s 24th and seemingly final major title have been split evenly among the two dynamos of the sport after Sinner ascended for the first time at the Australian Open in 2024.

The power balance has firmly shifted and Djokovic had a front-row seat to their stardom throughout a season in which he, remarkably given the Serbian is now 38, reached the semifinals at all four majors.

After being comprehensively outplayed by Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows on Friday, he acknowledged a reality that is clear to anyone watching men’s tennis over the last two years.

“They are just too good, you know, playing on a really high level,” Djokovic said.

“I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that, I was gassed and he kept going. (And) that is kind of what I felt … also with Jannik.

“Best of five (sets) makes it very, very difficult for me to play them, particularly if it is like the end stages of a grand slam.”

The Spaniard joined Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal as the winner of six major titles before the age of 23 with his 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 triumph over Sinner on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which follows his breakthrough success back in 2022 in New York over Casper Ruud.

The freshly-minted world No.1 joined Djokovic, Nadal and Mats Wilander to win multiple grand slam titles on the three different surfaces and is the youngest man to do so.

He also levelled the record of his fellow Spaniard Nadal (2008) for the most wins by a 22-year-old or younger in a grand slam season with 24 major victories this year and owns more titles (seven) than losses (six) this year.

“It’s my second one, but it’s still a ... a dream come true. The second one here is super special,” Alcaraz said.

“For me, it’s great. When you achieve the goals you set up yourself at the beginning of the year, it feels amazing. Since I got the chance to recover the No. 1, it was one of the first goals that I had during the seasons, just to try to recover the No. 1 as soon as possible or end the year as the No. 1.

“For me, (to) achieve that once again, it is a dream. Doing it on the same day as getting another grand slam feels even better. It’s everything I’m working for and I’m really happy to be able to live these experiences.”

CHASING PERFECTION

Alcaraz, in snapping Sinner’s exceptional 27-match winning streak on hard courts in majors that had seen him clinch two Australian Opens and last year’s US Open, is back at No.1.

His response to falling in a grand slam final for the first time when beaten by Sinner in July at Wimbledon, which ended his bid to become the youngest man to win three straight titles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, was illustrative of his character.

Rather than sulking and leaving The All England Club diminished, he has soared higher than ever.

The youngest ever man to become the world No.1 when clinching a maiden major title in New York three years ago, this was the most complete fortnight of his grand slam career.

As phenomenal as his flourishes are and as electric as he is to watch in full-flight, Alcaraz has been prone to dropping sets or struggling to maintain his focus throughout matches.

At times he seems to have too many options and could become caught up in his own artistry. But in New York his decision making was near perfect. This was a tennis masterclass from the man with a smile carrying enough wattage to power one thousand light bulbs.

“My style ... it’s about the variety that I have in a match. I feel I can do everything on court, to be honest: slices, drop shots, topspin, flat,” he said.

“I just trust really much in my physical conditions. I feel like I can reach every ball, which give me the confident and the security of making good points and be able to play with variety. So ... since when I was really, really young, I just got that feeling of doing everything.

“I had to work on that just not to make too many mistakes on the matches, so I just been working on that. Keeping that style, the variety, but at the same time being solid from the baseline that gives me the opportunity (put) the opponents in trouble.”

The only set Alcaraz, whose forehand proved pulverising in the decider, dropped in Queens was against Sinner.

He also dropped serve just three times for the fortnight — that equals the deeds of record-holder Pete Sampras at Wimbledon (1994/97) — with one of those occasions occurring on the sole break point he faced in the final.

“The performance today was perfect,” his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said.

“I think he compromised himself to go for the match all the time and tried to put pressure on the rival sooner than Jannik. I think it’s one of the keys. I think these guys hit the ball, both of them, very, very fast, and I think who hits first take the advantage on points.

“Carlos has maybe more variety on his game, and he can do more, like, slice, go to the net, and do more things than maybe Jannik, but I think it helps a lot to change a little bit the way of the games. I would say that the match was perfect for Carlos and the performance was unbelievable.”

This is illustrative of another point when assessing his ascendancy and the manner with which he played throughout the tournament and, also, against his Italian rival.

Alcaraz and Ferrero, one of several former world No.1s sitting courtside for the final, made the conscious decision to improve his serve a year ago.

It has been a work in progress — in Melbourne in January he seemed bereft of confidence with the delivery when falling to Djokovic — but it reaped remarkable rewards at Flushing Meadows, capped by the booming flat serve to the advantage court to finish off the final.

“I think in this moment it’s maybe the moment that he has more improving in his serve, and it’s been very useful on the court, and in important moments he’s using it a lot,” Ferrero said.

“During all of Cincinnati and also during all US Open, I think the serve is one of the keys to win the tournaments, for sure.”

‘GRATEFUL TO HAVE HIM’

Alcaraz, who also attacked the Sinner second serve when frequently taking the ball on the rise and inside the baseline, has credited his rival for helping him to become a better player.

“All our matches are very complicated and very tough. This pushes me to the limit. I know that I have to play my best tennis if I want to beat him,” Alcaraz said a year ago.

“As a tennis player, I love these kind of battles, but sometimes I prefer it to be simpler. He makes me a better player. I hope this rivalry gets better over the years.

“I want to say that I am very grateful to have him on the Tour. Thanks to him I push myself to the limit to improve, giving 100 per cent ever day. It is always a please to share the court with him, even if sometimes it is difficult to have fun.”

Great rivalries do this.

John McEnroe and Borg, who played against each other 14 times compared to the 15 already notched between Sinner and Alcaraz, highlighted this as a factor in their great battles between the baselines.

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic stressed the same and continued to evolve the way with which they played and attacked each other through their longstanding rivalry. And it was the same with the Golden generation of Aussies headed by the great Laver.

After losing to Sinner at Wimbledon, Alcaraz said he immediately began thinking about how he would beat a rival against who he has won nine of their 15 outings when the next met. Similarly Sinner was acknowledging the need for improvement soon after the final.

“I’m going to aim to … maybe even losing some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player,” Sinner said.

“I’m a very, very solid … baseliner. I’m a very strong hitter. I’m a good player, you know. Sometimes (it is about) adding just something and I think that’s going to be or that’s going to make a difference from my personal point of view that I can say that I’m going to become a better tennis player.

“I’m going to change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but you know, they can make big differences. Then we see how it goes. I’m looking forward to play again these matches.

“Something new is now I’m not No.1 anymore, so you know, it also changes a little bit that you chase. It’s different. Then we see.”

WHO CAN CHALLENGE THE GREATS?

Back to Laver’s question as to who out of those chasing pack can enter the rivalry, just as Djokovic did with Federer and Nadal when eventually overtaking those greats.

At the moment the race is between Alcaraz and Sinner, with daylight through to Djokovic, who heads up a chasing pack struggling for breath.

German Alexander Zverev’s best chance may have been in the Australian Open final when he dominated Sinner for a period, only to succumb. He has not been the same player since.

Medvedev, who ended Djokovic’s bid for a Grand Slam in 2021 at the US Open, has endured a horror year in majors which has prompted a shift in coaches, but it is hard to see the Russian improving enough to challenge the two ascending superstars.

Taylor Fritz, a finalist in New York last year, is a fine player who has a clear Djokovic problem. He, too, will be seeking to find ways to improve in order to challenge again.

The consistency of top Aussie Alex de Minaur is admirable, with the Demon making the second week as many times as Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz over the past two years.

But as he said after falling to Felix Auger-Aliassime in a quarterfinal, it is “back to the drawing board” once again. Bolstering his serve remains a critical for him if he is to take the next step in a major, let alone make it through to the final for a chance at a major title.

A phenomenal serve is required for any chasing stars given the all-court strengths of the superstars, which points to younger talents including Ben Shelton and Jack Draper, the Indian Wells champion.

The two-left handers are exceptional talents who possess withering serves and big groundstrokes, but the challenge for them and others is to raise their general consistency and mental toughness, along with their physical fitness. It is a concern both are now injured.

The wow factor could be the Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, a player who has drawn considerable hype in the infancy of his time on the tour.

Absurdly Fonseca, who reached the third rounds at Roland Garros and Wimbledon while also winning matches in Melbourne and New York in his first major season, has copped some criticism on social media for failing to go further. That is astonishing.

Patience is a factor in tennis. It took Sinner until he was 23 to win his first grand slam title. Ferrero said after the final that Alcaraz is only now starting to play with greater maturity. Fonseca has ample time to deliver on his potential. And Ferrero said others will come along.

“I think if we have more players fighting for the big titles, for people I think it’s going to be even more entertainment,” said Ferrero, the coach of Alcaraz.

“For us it’s going to be worse, because we have to mix the tournaments, but … it’s always welcome, the players that rise and play a high level.

“I think people will (emerge). I think people learn from these kind of matches. They know where the level is and where they have to go. For sure they’re going to try.

“It’s difficult to say (when that will happen). With all the players that we have on tour, you know, seeing Roger, Rafa, Novak, now it’s very easy to say, but maybe 20 years ago you would not say it’s going to happen like this, so it’s very tough.

“If I have to tell you right now, it looks like this, but who knows in the future if someone is going to arrive and fight for a big title as well?”

It is worth considering injuries and motivation as well when considering whether Alcaraz and Sinner will push beyond the Lavers of the world and onto the Big Three in terms of the all-time grand slam chase.

Will they continue to strive and push each other to get better? And can their bodies hold up given their history and the stresses under which they compete?

Alcaraz could scarcely swing a racquet for periods of the clay circuit last year. Sinner was unwell in Cincinnati and there are suspicions he had an abdominal issue in New York. While they are chasing immortals, and certainly playing like them as well, they are human.

CAN ALCARAZ CREATE FURTHER HISTORY IN MELBOURNE?

The final frontier for Alcaraz is conquering Melbourne. For Sinner, it is the red dirt of Paris.

The Spaniard has endured a difficult time at Melbourne Park, which is surprising given the slower, higher bouncing hard courts in comparison to the US Open should suit his stunning stroke making.

Djokovic and Zverev have beaten him in the past two quarterfinals while he was forced out of the 2023 Australian Open when injured. Dual-grand slam finalist Matteo Berrettini edged him in a thrilling third round in 2022 and he lost in the second round after winning through qualifying when making his grand slam debut in 2021.

Should Alcaraz clinch the Australian Open next season, he would become the youngest man to win all four major titles. It is firmly on his mind.

“It’s my first goal, to be honest,” he said.

“When I just go to the pre-seasons to what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, (the) Australian Open is there. It’s the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a career Grand Slam, calendar Grand Slam.

“I just wanted to complete it. Obviously I’m going to try to do it next year, but if it is not next year, hopefully in two and three and four. So I will try to complete it. If he does it first, it’s a great achievement, but for me, all I want to think is to complete it, no matter when.”

But, for now, he will celebrate this triumph, his return to world No.1 and another phenomenal season with his team. And when it comes to enjoying a big triumph, Alcaraz is as good as that as he is on the court.

“A bad thing about tennis — I mean, there’s not too many bad things in tennis — but one of those is you win a tournament and right after that you have to be focused on the next one,” he said.

“So sometimes you just have one day just to enjoy, or not even that, and going after that to another tournament, another place. So sometimes it’s really difficult to realise that I won the tournament.

“So what I learned mostly this year is to take moments of every tournament, of every experience that you are living and enjoy, and enjoy with my team, with my family, with the people you have around.

“I think it’s great to take a moment, see the trophy or see what you have done in the tournament, and appreciate that, keep it going, and enjoy.”

I think that’s really, really important. That’s something that I’m trying to do after every tournament, every match, or every trophy.

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