Over the years, we have seen some great rivalries unfold in tennis. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is one that comes to everyone’s mind, where it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the final of any grand slam will inevitably have both icons battle it out. Novak Djokovic would then make it a three-way tussle to make things interesting. Now, we are seeing a similar sort of phenomenon with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
While the name ‘Sincaraz’ may be a mix, much like ‘Fedal’, but it holds a lot of importance after the big-three era came to an end. And the stats and the dominance on the court don’t lie. Sinner and Alcaraz have won the last seven grand slam titles between them. Sinner started things with a win at the Australian Open and Alcaraz followed it with a French Open and Wimbledon double. The Italian World No.1 then showed why he is the best when it comes to hard courts and claimed the win at Flushing Meadows.
He clinched the Australian Open once again this year before the duo played out one of the best tennis matches of recent times, as Alcaraz retained his crown at Roland Garros with an incredible comeback. Sinner got his revenge at Wimbledon and now both men are considered to be the favourites for the US Open title. It isn’t just a battle for bragging rights but the World No.1 title will also be on the line, which is with Sinner at the moment.
The battle and rivalry between the two is so intense, even the great Djokovic acknowledged that others are playing catchup at the moment.
“We know,” Novak Djokovic acknowledged, “they’re the dominant force right now.”
The duo met at the Cincinnati Open final, where Sinner had to retire due to an illness. Alcaraz was very gracious after the win, going in to support his fellow competitor, but the competition between them will remain.
Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, said that the rivalry is as real as it gets and he hopes it is one that will define the sport for the next decade. The Italian also finds his rivalry with Alcaraz to be good for the sport and for themselves.
“To have rivalries, it’s great,” said Sinner of his on-court relationship with Alcaraz. “It’s good for the sport, it’s good for personal view because sometimes when you’re tired in practice you try to simulate certain things, because they can happen in the real match.”
“At the moment, me and Carlos, we are sharing big trophies, but at the same time, things can change. You never know. There are great, great players out there, and to the way to the final, it’s very difficult to get there. So let’s see if this continues. I always say we have to improve, because players, they understand us now, how we are,” said Sinner.
Alcaraz is just happy to be building a great rivalry with the Italian and feels that they have done a lot for the support in such a short time.
“I’m just really happy to be building such a great rivalry against Jannik,” Alcaraz said earlier this month. “Jannik and I, I think we’ve done great things in tennis already in such a short period. I just let the people talk about our rivalry or the things that we have done for the tennis history books.”
And we may not have to wait for long to see both men go toe-to-toe. The draw for the US Open hasn’t been a kind one for Alcaraz, who has been drawn alongside Sinner, Cam Norrie and Alexander Zverev. But if things go to plan, the Spaniard and Italian will square off in the quarter-finals.
While this rivalry has been a fairytale on its own, can a certain Djokernole be the villain of the tale.
The Djoker of the pack
It would be foolish to write off Novak Djokovic in any grand slam. The Serbian may not be at his best in terms of fitness and some of the recent results haven’t been in his favour. But there is no doubt that he always remains a contender when a grand slam comes along.
Of the last 12 grand slams, majority may have been dominated by Sincaraz, but Djokovic won three of them. He is someone who knows what it means to be the third guy in a rivalry and probably, a master of breaking the duopoly.
“I want to see a third guy coming in,” Djokovic said at the press conference recently.
“There are players that are able to have that joker spot, the third spot.”
Well in this case, it could be the Djoker spot. The Serbian has won the title at the Flushing Meadows four times in the past and will surely be aiming to add one more to his collection. Many have wondered if the 38-year-old is reaching his final stretch.
There have been signs of a weakened body but the mind still remains that of a warrior when it comes to the former World No.1. Maybe the Djoker has one final act up his sleeve at the US Open.
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