As the years passed and the “Big Three” rivalries among Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer came so prominently and delightfully into view, the skirmishes they fought so ferociously took on an another dimension. Every time they stepped on court to face each other, these iconic competitors realized they were making history of the highest order. Each clash was about numerical supremacy as they went through each other in pursuit of Grand Slam tournament titles, striving to claim the most prestigious prizes, knowing that they would ultimately be judged predominantly by how much success they found at the majors.
Although Djokovic remains formidable at 38–as demonstrated by his third straight major semifinal appearance of 2025 at Wimbledon—the fact remains that the balance of power has shifted to two outstanding individuals who currently control the climate of men’s tennis and promise to keep stamping their authority on the sport for another decade and beyond. Djokovic collected his 24th Grand Slam title at the 2023 U.S. Open but since that time Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have swept all seven majors between them.
Heading into Wimbledon, they had split the previous six “Big Four” titles, but it was Alcaraz who may have had a more optimistic outlook after toppling Sinner in an epic showdown at Roland Garros. The Spaniard saved three match points in the fourth set of that spellbinding encounter, and later escaped after twice being two points from defeat at 5-6 in the fifth set. Alcaraz escaped in his inimitable fashion to win 4-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2), making one of the greatest ever final round comebacks on one of the premier stages.
It was Alcaraz’s fifth victory in a row over his chief rival, and as stellar a display of championship fiber as we will ever see. He redefined grace under pressure with that performance. But for Sinner the defeat was devastating. He conceded that there were some sleepless nights for him in the aftermath of a noble loss, realizing that some of his wounds had been self inflicted.
Alcaraz was in full pursuit of a third Wimbledon title in a row while Sinner was trying to take his first. The Spaniard sorely wanted a sixth major title while Sinner was highly motivated to win his fourth. Meeting so soon after the Roland Garros extravaganza gave their Wimbledon title round contest an added sense of drama and excitement.
Moreover, the appointment became a supreme test of character for Sinner against his foremost rival. He needed to win this Wimbledon final much more than Alcaraz did for a wide range of reasons. He had no alternative but to rise to this occasion and meet the moment as forthrightly as possible. Quite simply, Jannik Sinner was in a must win situation if ever there was one. Sinner was surrounded by pressure as he played Alcaraz with the biggest title in tennis on the line. Failing to win the most significant final he has ever played in a sterling career would have left Sinner with the deepest wounds in his psyche that he has ever felt.
That, of course, did not happen. In fact, Sinner turned in a dazzling display of which he could be proud and toppled Alcaraz comprehensively 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Even for players who have accomplished mightily, making a debut in a Wimbledon final can be a uniquely daunting experience, and Sinner seemed to be falling into that syndrome.
The 23-year-old Italian did draw first blood in the opening set. Alcaraz led 40-15 in the fifth game but Sinner unleashed a deep return that set up a forehand winner and then reached deuce with a scorching backhand down the line that sent Alcaraz sprawling on the court. The Spaniard then erred off the backhand and drove a forehand long. Sinner had the initial break of the match and he soon held at 30 with a backhand volley into the clear and a thundering 137 MPH service winner out wide that the Spaniard barely touched.
Sinner led 4-2 but Alcaraz was characteristically unswerving. He dropped only two points in the next two games, breaking back for 4-4, breaking back on one of the few feeble mistakes from Sinner at 15-40 in the eighth game— a netted backhand that was unrecognizable coming from him. Alcaraz held at 30 with a 140 MPH ace out wide for 5-4. Sinner saved one set point in the tenth game but immediately double faulted. Down set point for the second time, Sinner smacked a forehand down the line on the run that should have been a point winner, but Alcaraz took a stab at it off the backhand. He sent a low, short slice crosscourt that could only have come from his playbook. It was an outright winner which stunned Sinner and everyone else. Set to Alcaraz, 6-4.
Sinner was two holds away from a one set lead, but Alcaraz had captured four games in a row to put that set in his victory column. Sinner had won the first set in four of his five previous confrontations with Alcaraz, but he faltered in this instance and wasted what had been an auspicious start. But the Spaniard seemed to let his mind wander in the opening game of the second set, double faulting on the first point. At 30-40, Alcaraz produced another 140 MPH first serve but Sinner read it well enough to get it back in play. Alcaraz lost that point with an over cooked forehand that landed long.
And so Sinner had the immediate break in the second set. And yet, the Italian trailed 30-40 in the second game before he remedied the situation with a 134 MPH service winner to the backhand, an overhead winner and a 130 MPH first serve that allowed Sinner to get a forehand he could drive with authority. Alcaraz missed off the forehand. Crucially, Sinner had rallied from break point down to open up a 2-0 lead.
This was an exceedingly hard fought set. Alcaraz rallied from 0-30 in the third game prior to Sinner holding on for 3-1 after two deuces. On his way to 4-2, Sinner rallied from 15-30, holding on a let cord winner. In the seventh game, Sinner advanced to break point after Alcaraz was ahead 40-0, benefitting from two double faults in a row from the Spaniard. But an obstinate Alcaraz held on from there for 3-4. Sinner was unimpressed, holding at love for 5-3. Two games later, serving for the set at 5-4, Sinner made three spectacular winners and held on at 15 to seal the set, making a scintillating backhand crosscourt passing shot winner off a drop volley from the Spaniard, crushing a forehand down the line winner for 40-15 and then cracking an angled forehand crosscourt winner to make it to one set all.
Sinner closing out the second set with such gusto was an unmistakable sign of his increasing confidence and determination. Although Alcaraz escaped from 15-40 in the first game of the third set after double faulting two more times in that game, Sinner was not shaken. He seemed to know he had the upper hand. At 2-3, the Italian was taken to deuce but he pressured Alcaraz into a forehand passing shot mistake and moved to 3-3 with a 133 MPH ace out wide. At 3-4, Sinner was under some duress again at 30-30 but he released back to back clutch aces to reach 4-4. Now the top seed made his move, sending a backhand return into the backhand corner of Alcaraz at 30-30 and then stepping in for a forehand inside-in winner. At break point, Sinner surged forward and punched a backhand volley into the open court as Alcaraz slipped back at the baseline.
Serving for a two sets to one lead, Sinner double faulted for 15-15 but followed with a 132 MPH ace down the T, an overhead winner and then a 133 MPH service winner down the T, holding at 15 to take the set 6-4. He won 21 of 28 points in five service games and kept Alcaraz off balance at the baseline with his power, accuracy and unrelenting depth. At 1-1 in the fourth set, Sinner connected immaculately with a backhand down the line return winner at break point. On his way to 4-2, Sinner took 12 of 14 points on serve but Alcaraz made a bold bid to break in the eighth game. The Spaniard went to 15-40 on the Sinner serve but was unable to secure a break. Sinner’s 110 MPH second serve out wide in the deuce court drew a netted return from the Spaniard. On the following point, Alcaraz overhit a crosscourt forehand long as Sinner got back to deuce. A jumping backhand from Sinner provoked Alcaraz into an error off the backhand and then Sinner unleashed a 118 MPH second serve that was too hot for Alcaraz to handle.
Sinner led 5-3 after that effort. Alcaraz was undismayed, holding at 30 with a nifty serve-and-drop volley winning combination. Serving for the match, Sinner missed only one of five first serves. He swiftly reached 40-0, lost the next point, but closed out his triumph with a 137 MPH service winner down the T. Sinner carved out a well deserved 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 triumph. In that fourth set, he took 21 of 27 points on serve. As convincingly as he sparred with Alcaraz from the backcourt, Sinner won this match more than anything else with his serve. Across the last three sets, Sinner was not broken in 15 games on his delivery, facing only one break point in the second set, none in the third set and two in the fourth. Alcaraz was unmistakably disconcerted by his inability to make inroads on the Sinner serve and it may have contributed to the Spaniard’s struggles on his own serve.
Sinner has won three of the past four Grand Slam tournaments and the only major tittle he has not yet secured is Roland Garros. He has established himself as only the eleventh man to be in the finals of all four majors during the Open Era. The Italian was fortunate to emerge victorious in the round of 16 when Grigor Dimitrov took the first two sets of their Centre Court encounter and reached 2-2 in the third before a pectoral muscle injury forced the Bulgarian to retire, but Sinner made the most of his good fortune.
But the value and meaning of Sinner winning Wimbledon are immeasurable. He heads into the summer hard court season with a renewed belief in his status. Sinner has been victorious at the last three hard court majors, and he will surely be the favorite in the eyes of most authorities to defend his U.S. Open title in late August and September.
Nonetheless, Alcaraz saved a match point and ousted Sinner in a five set quarterfinal at the 2022 US. Open on his way to a first Grand Slam title. Although the Spaniard has demonstrably shown how well he can perform on hard courts, the fact remains that he has been more successful on both clay and grass, moving within one match of a third Wimbledon title in a row and coming through at Roland Garros the last two years.
The view here is that there is a very good chance Sinner and Alcaraz will meet again in New York and treat us all to another sparkling showdown that will live long in our hearts and imaginations. If that happens, it would take their growing rivalry into another realm. Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe met in back to back Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals in 1980-81 as McEnroe prevailed in the last three of those contests after Borg succeeded in the first at the All England Club in 1980. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer clashed from 2006-2008 in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals as the Spaniard won all three duels at Roland Garros and finally toppled Federer on the grass in 2008 after losing their first two Centre Court skirmishes. In 1984, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert battled in the finals of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in succession, with Navratilova the victor in all three meetings. Serena Williams stopped her sister Venus in four consecutive major finals, starting with the French Open of 2002 and continuing through the 2003 Australian Open.
But in men’s tennis, the same duo colliding in three straight major finals in the same year during the Open Era would be a first. Sinner and Alcaraz seem poised in my view to make that kind of history, and if they do meet in Arthur Ashe Stadium I have a feeling they will rise to the occasion and not let us down.
