Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have enjoyed an unmatched rivalry with their sheer dominance in the last couple of years. If we go by the stats, these two have won the past seven Grand Slam titles (all four in the 2024 season and the first three in 2025). Seeing their incredible 5-hour and 29-minute battle, Chris Evert got reminded of her rivalry with Martina Navratilova, while several others drew comparisons with the ‘Big 3’. Similar reactions came in when we saw them yet again, making it to a major final at Wimbledon. But is there anyone to stop them from showcasing their dominance yet again at the last major tournament of the 2025 season?
Different experts have different takes on this, but if asked to name one of the best players who’s yet to win a Grand Slam title, then it’d surely be Alexander Zverev. He can be a real threat to their dominance at the majors, especially at the 2025 US Open! In 2020, the German star reached the final at the US Open, but he went down to Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller. Following that defeat, Zverev said, “I don’t think it’s my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point.” Five years later, he’s yet to win a major title!
Although he reached the finals at the 2024 French Open and the 2025 AO, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner stood tall in front of his Grand Slam dreams. After losing the AO final earlier this year, Zverev even admitted, “I’m just not good enough” to win a Grand Slam. Following the AO, Zverev made an exit from the French Open in the QF, while at Wimbledon, he faced a shocking defeat at the hands of Arthur Rinderknech in the first round. Does this have an impact on his chances at the 2025 US Open? Well, during an interview with Eurosport, the former ATP pro, Tommy Haas, said, “The defeat is actually doing him some good, so he now has time to reflect and try a fresh start on the way to the hard court season, where he plays some of his best tennis. Perhaps he will be even hungrier at the US Open.“
Along with the defending champion, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (2022 US Open champion) and Novak Djokovic (4-time champion), Haas believes, Alexander Zverev has the potential to turn the tables upside down. He said Zverev is very difficult to beat if he plays his normal tennis.
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Shortly after finishing his campaign at Wimbledon, Alexander Zverev was seen training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca under the strict supervision of Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal. He’s keen to make a strong comeback on the North American hard-court swing. Zverev has time and again mentioned that he doesn’t want to end his career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam. But to win a major title, he definitely has to cross paths with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Interestingly, the German has a 6-5 record against Alcaraz, while it’s 4-3 against Sinner. Although his stats are quite impressive against these two, Zverev needs to step up a bit, especially in the major tournaments, as there has been a lot of buzz surrounding a few other names who could possibly pause the dominance of ‘Sincaraz’.
Potential list of names to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s triumphant tango
Previously, while sharing his thoughts on this, Carlos Alcaraz had said that there are a lot of names who are versatile enough to compete against anyone, with no exceptions, but he especially mentioned Alexander Zverev’s name when it comes to posing a real threat to their incredible dominance. Even American legend Andy Roddick feels Zverev is right there at the top among the best. However, other than him, there are also a few upcoming players who have the potential to stir the pot for both Sinner and Alcaraz in the upcoming years.
For example, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou named João Fonseca, Jack Draper, and Ben Shelton, while former ATP pro Luke Saville singled out one name out of the ones mentioned. During his conversation on The Tennis, he tipped the 18-year-old Brazilian, João Fonseca, as the biggest threat to the ‘New Two’. Even John Isner has a similar opinion!
Saville said, “I think everyone’s looking at Fonseca to be the next challenger to those two. It’s Carlos and Jannik, and then there’s daylight, at the moment. I feel like Medvedev, Zverev, and Tsitsipas, a few years back, were kind of the three everyone was looking at. Still Zverev, he’s made a bunch of finals and just hasn’t quite broken through for that maiden Slam title.” However, tennis legend Chris Evert thinks Jack Draper could be the one to watch out for. Who among these players do you think could be a real threat to Jannik Sinner‘s title defense dream at the 2025 US Open?
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