The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has long been talked about as the next era at the top of men’s tennis.
Aged 21 and 22 respectively, they have won two of the last three Grand Slams, and the winner of Friday’s French Open semi-final will be the favourite to clinch Sunday’s title.
Eight times they have stood either side of the court from each other, inseparable at four wins apiece, the best of which was their five-set US Open quarter-final in 2022.
With Novak Djokovic hobbling out of the tournament and at risk of missing Wimbledon with a torn meniscus in his right knee, it paves the way for Sinner, who has usurped Djokovic as world No1, and Alcaraz, who is fast rising to the No2 spot depending on how the remaining days in Paris go, to dominate the rest of 2024.
Even with a fresh Djokovic to contend with, Alcaraz was unequivocal about facing the toughest prospect in the sport currently.
“I think it’s the hardest thing to face Jannik,” he said following his quarter-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. “At the same time, I love that. I love these kind of matches, I love this kind of challenge.”
Both Sinner and Alcaraz have the recent bettering of Djokovic on the biggest stage, having beaten him in their last two Grand Slam finals, in New York and Wimbledon respectively.
Djokovic’s demise, allied with Sinner’s own quarter-final win against Grigor Dimitrov, makes him the 29th man to climb to world No1 since the rankings began.
Of that accolade, he said: “What can I say? First of all, it is every player’s dream to become No1. In the other way, seeing Novak retiring here is disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
There has long been discussion about who would replace tennis’s big three in Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The likes of Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have all been talked about as successors. Of that three, only Medvedev is a Major winner.
For his part, Tsitsipas could barely have been more effusive following his own 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 loss.
“I was pretty sure I could face Carlos today and maybe do something different than any other time,” he said. “But the kid is just too good. I can only congratulate him, because he’s really playing amazing.
“I’ve maximised anything that I was able to try and do out on the court. I just need to figure this out. I wish him the best because, when I play against him, I get reminded of how much there is to get better at as a tennis player.”
The question remains whether Djokovic can return, at 37, to challenge the young guard again this summer, having come so close in last year’s Wimbledon final.
