The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has captivated fans for the past few years, intensifying with each tournament and season. Ahead of the 2026 season, Alcaraz is ranked number one and Sinner is ranked number two in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rankings. In 2025, they dominated the ATP and traded championships. Fans are enticed by their techniques and off-court charisma. Fans also make note of the rivalry’s resemblance to old rivalries that commanded the Tour in the early 2000s, specifically the Big Three (sometimes known as the Big Four when including Andy Murray), referencing the dominant trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. This rivalry defined the ATP for decades, with one of the three ranked number one at the end of every season, save two, between 2004 and 2023. The Alcaraz/Sinner rivalry is often referred to as the “Next Two” or the “Big Two” in reference to those previous rivalries.
Alcaraz and Sinner both turned professional in 2018 and met soon after in their first Challenger event in 2019. Their first match at the ATP Tour level was in 2021, and their rivalry emerged soon after. They have now played each other a total of 16 times, with Alcaraz leading 10-6. The two players have an equal number of ATP Tour titles, although Alcaraz leads in major titles 6-4. Combined, they have won the last eight consecutive major titles and won ten of the last thirteen.
Amid their dominance, two matches have continued to draw attention. The first was in 2022, when the two met in the US Open quarterfinals. The match holds the record for the latest-ending US Open match, lasting five hours and fifteen minutes and ending with a five-set Alcaraz victory at 2:50 am. Another defining match was the 2025 Roland-Garros (French Open) championship. The match time exceeded the 2022 US Open quarterfinals with a total length of five hours and twenty-nine minutes. Alcaraz battled through three consecutive championship points in the fourth set and went on to take the fourth and fifth sets in a tiebreaker.
After matches, players and their teams analyze small moments, aiming to adjust small movements and strategies to optimize their chance of winning. As Billie Jean King famously affirmed, “champions adjust.” After his loss in the 2025 Wimbledon Championship to Sinner, Alcaraz noticed that his second serve was easily defended and focused on that aspect of his game ahead of the US Open. Alcaraz won the US Open, again meeting Sinner in the final, and won in four sets. From that match, Sinner identified that he needed to expand his arsenal of moves to match Alcaraz’s dynamic game. This adjustment allowed him to beat Alcaraz in the ATP Finals.
Despite their heated rivalry on the court, the two have a friendly dynamic and hold mutual respect for each other. Although they are not close friends, they have expressed their support and admiration for each other. Following his victory at the 2025 ATP Finals, Sinner said, “Well deserved for the number one. We haven't spoken yet, but I'm extremely happy. If it's another player than me, I always choose you. So you really deserve it. You are definitely a player I look up to, you know, a lot of motivation. I need this, you know, every practice session with a big, big purpose. And I'm…we are all very happy. The whole fan base here is very happy to see you play. You are the most energetic player on tour, so keep going. I wish you all the best of luck.”
Alcaraz and Sinner enter the 2026 season ranked as the top two ATP players, and fans hope to see them match up often. They have already played an exhibition game in Korea and are now competing in the first major of the year: the Australian Open. Sinner won the tournament in 2025, while Alcaraz has no career wins “Down Under”—the only major he has yet to conquer. Between series of adjustments and execution in competitions, the rivals will continue to mesmerize fans with their skill and voracity.