On a tranquil evening in Manhattan last week, Carlos Alcaraz was making his exit from an Italian restaurant alongside his sizeable support team when he unexpectedly found himself staring at a familiar face. There, in a different part of the restaurant, sat Jannik Sinner quietly enjoying his own dinner. This was actually the second occasion during the US Open that Alcaraz and Sinner just so happened to be dining at the same restaurant at the same time. Neither player could hide their amusement as they greeted each other warmly.
Considering the frequency of their meetings on and off the court, it would not be unreasonable if Sinner and Alcaraz were starting to get sick of each other: “On court we like to see each other, because it means that considering our ranking, we are doing well in the tournament. Off court we bump into each other at times. I don’t know if we are happy or not,” joked Sinner.
There is at least one more meeting to come in New York. The first US Open final of their rivalry also represents a historic moment. This is the first time in the Open era that two male players have faced each other in three grand slam finals in one season, and in consecutive major tournaments. This also marks their fifth consecutive final, their most recent meeting coming in the Cincinnati final last month, where Sinner retired while trailing 5-0 due to illness. As if the stakes aren’t already high enough, Sinner’s No 1 ranking is also on the line. If Alcaraz wins, he will replace the Italian as the new world No 1.
Not only are they so much better than the rest of the field, but the gap is also widening. While the Alcaraz-Sinner era had long been under way, with the two players splitting all four major titles between them in 2024, until June they had not yet faced each other in a grand slam final.
After the pair had competed against each other in the final the Italian Open, Sinner’s comeback tournament from his three-month doping ban, a rematch at the French Open seemed likely. At Wimbledon, it was difficult to envision anything other than another final between them. By the US Open, though, while they had six matches to win and the difficulty of navigating a grand slam draw should never be underestimated, this final seemed inevitable barring injury. It has actually made for an odd men’s tournament over the past few weeks, with so much anticipation of this final from the first round.
A month after Alcaraz demonstrated his peerless ability to produce his best tennis in the most difficult moments by plotting one of the greatest comebacks of all time at Roland Garros, Sinner’s revenge win at Wimbledon broke a run of five victories for Alcaraz and showed Sinner a blueprint for success against his rival.
The Italian suffocated Alcaraz with his destructive, relentless ball striking off both wings. He also served well and kept Alcaraz’s offensive return position at bay by injecting more pace into his second serve. Afterwards, the Spaniard admitted that he had been outplayed. He simply did not have enough time on the ball to disrupt Sinner’s game.
It is for this reason that, although grass courts are supposed to be Alcaraz’s turf in this rivalry and Sinner has begun an era of dominance on the surface, Alcaraz may actually come to prefer facing Sinner on a medium hard court. In addition to having slightly more time on the ball, this surface aids the Spaniard’s kick serve and the heavy topspin on his forehand, which are essential to his aim of constantly varying the trajectory of the ball to disrupt Sinner.
At Wimbledon, under such suffocating pressure on the baseline from Sinner, Alcaraz’s serve let him down. In New York, though, his improved serve has been one of the key reasons why he has been able to roll through the field, reaching a grand slam final without dropping a set for the first time in his career. It is obvious that he will need to serve extremely well against the most effective returner in the world. With these players competing so frequently, every match is an opportunity to adjust, and it remains to be seen what Alcaraz has learned from his most recent defeat.
Three years on from Alcaraz’s 2:50am five-set win over Sinner after saving a match point, an instant classic that positioned this rivalry as the future of the sport, the pair will close that circle in New York.
As they walk down the tunnel and on to Arthur Ashe Stadium, it is worth sparing a thought for the rest of the top players. After years of being punching bags of the big three – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – for so long it was believed that the demise of the big three would lead to a transitional era where, at least for a short amount of time, many more players would have the chance to win the biggest titles in the world.
Instead, two new legends have seamlessly taken the baton and while they are adversaries on the court, they have also conspired to ensure that nobody else in the world has a chance.
