The dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is approaching historic levels.
The Spaniard and the Italian, far and away the world’s top two singles players, have combined to win 18 of the past 19 tournaments at which they’ve both competed since the start of 2024. They’ve also shared the past eight major singles trophies, making them the third most dominant Grand Slam ‘duopoly’ in men’s Open-era history.
The last player not named Alcaraz or Sinner to win a Slam? Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open.
MOST CONSECUTIVE GRAND SLAMS WON BY TWO MEN (OPEN ERA)
Djokovic interrupted the run of the most dominant Slam duopoly – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – when he won his first major title at Australian Open 2008. Prior to that, ‘Fedal’ had won 11 consecutive Slam trophies, and they won the next six in a row between them after AO 2008.
Yet during this period Djokovic was a legitimate third player in the rivalry, and by 2011, the season he rose above Federer and Nadal and dominated, the ‘Big Three’ era had begun.
It’s a scenario many fans want to see replicated in 2026 – including Djokovic.
“I think their rivalry is amazing. What they have done in the previous two years is remarkable,” Djokovic said at the US Open about Alcaraz and Sinner, “and then you have obviously other young players that are definitely going to challenge them, and hopefully somebody can get in the mix.
“[Holger] Rune was there, and he kind of goes up and down. [Joao] Fonseca. There are players that are able to have that ‘Djoker’ spot, the third spot.
“I kind of empathise with the third guy, because I was in those shoes with Federer and Nadal. I want to see a third guy coming in (smiling).”
The concept of the ‘third’ player was also discussed on a recent episode of The Tennis. Fonseca and Miami winner Jakub Mensik were mentioned, while guest Daria Saville nominated Indian Wells champion Jack Draper as a potential candidate.
Yet fellow Australian pro player Jaimee Fourlis was not convinced. “I don't think [the concept of a Big Three is] over; I just think the top two, Sinner and Alcaraz, are just too good,” she said. “Someone will have a breakout year, and kind of be in contention, but to be able to hold the level throughout the whole year like Sinner and Alcaraz, I don't think there's anyone that's gonna be the third."
Should ‘Sincaraz’ share all four major titles in 2026, that would be 12 consecutive Slams between them – a longer streak than Federer and Nadal during their peak period of dominance.
It’s something veteran tennis analyst Jon Wertheim could see happening. "It's almost weird if they don't meet in finals now,” he said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“Talk about Australia... one guy [Alcaraz] is going for the career Slam, the other's going for his third straight [AO] title. Short of injury, what would have to happen for them not to meet in the final?
"Right now [Alexander] Zverev has fewer than half as many [ranking] points, at No.3, as Sinner does at No.2. I pulled up some of these old rankings from 20 years ago … and even at the height of Federer and Nadal, it was never this big a gap."
Tim Henman, who peaked at world No.4 a year before Federer’s first Grand Slam title, felt similarly to Fourlis and Wertheim. However, he hoped fellow Brit Draper – who also hit world No.4, in June – might be the player to stand up after an injury-marred back end of 2025.
“Can anyone really come into the [Alcaraz-Sinner] conversation? Right now I don't see it,” Henman told ausopen.com. “[But] a year is a long time in life and certainly in sport. And the one person I would love to be in that conversation is Jack Draper again, because there's no doubt in the first half of 2025, he was in the conversation, the way that he beat Alcaraz in Indian Wells and he made the final in Madrid. He was playing great tennis.
“So we've got to be patient. It will take him time to get matches under his belt and that match fitness.”
While rehabbing, Draper joined The Tennis Podcast for a wide-ranging interview in November, and the same topic surfaced.
“One of the most common questions we get from our listeners is: 'Who's gonna be the Djokovic, the third man, to enter the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly the way Djokovic muscled into the Federer-Nadal thing?'” co-host Catherine Whitaker told Draper. “Are you like: I want that to be me?"
"Of course, yeah, but I'm also aware that there's so many amazing young players,” Draper replied.
“You've got like [Arthur] Fils, Fonseca, Mensik. You've just got so many young players who are being so professional and focused on that goal as well. And also players like [Daniil] Medvedev, and [Andrey] Rublev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, and [Taylor] Fritz; these guys who are gunning for them also.
"I think tennis is in a healthy spot right now. There's a lot of healthy sort of competition to those guys.
"But definitely with the way I saw my tennis going, and with my trajectory… I was feeling like I was improving all the time. Still far away, but I was getting closer. So I feel like if I can just get back on court, get doing what I can do out there again, then hopefully I can close that gap even more."
Come the main draw of Australian Open 2026, beginning in less than a month, we’ll see if it’s Draper, or one of those many other names, ready to stand up.