I have met him more than my family" - Carlos Alcaraz joked with Jannik Sinner at the US Open awards ceremony in September last year, after two dominating men's tennis players clashed in the third consecutive Grand Slam final.
Stepping into 2026, both Alcaraz and Sinner are still not "bored" of opponents. On the contrary, the level of fierce competition between them further highlights a reality: the rest of the men's tennis world is gradually becoming... secondary.
Last weekend, Alcaraz and Sinner landed in Australia together, appearing in front of the camera and interviews after a private flight with the crew accompanying them. The welcoming ceremony was elaborately staged in Melbourne as a declaration that the main event had officially begun.
Instead of attending a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, the two stopped by Korea to play the Hyundai Card Super Match performance in a fun way. The match had many performance plays, even Sinner gave the racket to a child in the front row to win the hearts of the audience.
According to Italian media, just participating also helped them pocket about 1.7 million pounds. But Alcaraz and Sinner both emphasized that the performance did not reveal anything for the Australian Open, because no matter how friendly they are, they still understand that ahead are too big goals to be negligent.
A year ago, the biggest question for men's tennis was which Grand Slam would witness Alcaraz and Sinner meeting for the first time in the final. Now only the Australian Open is a missing piece, and the prospect of the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final between the two brightest tennis stars in the world is considered inevitable.
Alcaraz has returned to number 1 in the world and aims for his first title in Melbourne - a feat that will help him complete his "Grand Slam career" and become the youngest player in history to do so at the age of 22. But Sinner, the two-time defending champion, is aiming for a hat-trick at the Australian Open, to become the second person in the open era after Novak Djokovic to win three consecutive times.
Tactical obsession was also pushed to the maximum. After losing to Sinner in the ATP Finals final in November last year, Alcaraz once sent a direct appointment to his opponent: "Hope he is ready for next year, because I will be ready for many more finals with him". Sinner also admitted that this competition brings him motivation and purpose.
Besides the long confrontation, the most shocking news in the mid-season break came from Alcaraz, when he suddenly parted ways with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Alcaraz kept the reason secret, while Ferrero mentioned the contract issue and admitted that everything could be different if the two sides sat down together.
With a player who is in a very strong position, the decision to change the coach after the best season of his career is a decisive step and can reflect the logic of the times. To beat Sinner, sometimes you have to change even things that seem perfect.
Djokovic and Nadal are the latest pair of men's tennis players to play 4 consecutive Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon 2011 to Roland Garros 2012). If Alcaraz and Sinner continue to extend the streak from Roland Garros to the Australian Open, they will complete an important chapter of the power transition and shape the next major competition of men's tennis.
But that is also a "verdict" for the rest of the top 10 when they are eliminated from the Grand Slam finals not only for one year, but possibly longer.
The question is therefore becoming increasingly clear: who is the third person strong enough to squeeze into the race? Young generations like Jack Draper are still struggling with injuries, Arthur Fils and Holger Rune are still unstable. Joao Fonseca bears Brazil's expectations, Flavio Cobolli just made an impression at the Davis Cup, but everyone is still outside the big light.
In the veteran group, Djokovic frankly admitted that Alcaraz and Sinner are too good at the 5-set format. Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz or the Medvedev, Ruud, Tsitsipas group all understand that they need more than just a breakthrough to challenge the two players who are defining their era.
For tennis, the Australian Open is still the moment of new beginnings. But for Alcaraz and Sinner, it may just be the next chapter of a story that is too clear of the main character.
