Mumbai: The Wimbledon Championships ended with an unexpected men’s singles champion. By no means was there a question on the player’s calibre – this is world No.1 Jannik Sinner after all – but because grass is the Italian’s least preferred surface. And the more accomplished men on the surface, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, were in his way.
He ended up beating both.
Sinner has a firm reputation as a hard-court specialist. And for good reason. His first three Majors came at the Australian Open (2024, 2025) and the US Open (2024). Now, as the man from South Tyrol returns to New York bidding to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to defend the US Open title, the question is: who can stop Sinner?
Crucially, he heads to Flushing Meadows with a “loss” registered against his name in his last match after being forced to retire due to illness in the Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz while down 0-5.
The 24-year-old, however, has asserted that he will be physically ready when the season’s last Grand Slam begins on Sunday.
“Physically I feel good,” he said at his pre-tournament press conference. “I have recovered mostly, not 100% yet, but we are aiming to be there in a couple of days. So, should be all fine for the tournament.”
Sinner boasts a 21-match unbeaten run in hard court Grand Slams.
The last time Sinner lost a completed match on a hard court was at the ATP 500 event in Beijing in September last year, losing to Alcaraz in the final. The last time he lost on a hard court to a player not named Alcaraz was in the quarter-final of the Canadian Masters in August last year, to Andrey Rublev.
The Russian is in Sinner’s half of the draw, so is third seed Alexander Zverev. But it is 22-year-old Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion and second seed, who is likely to be the biggest threat to Sinner again.
New Two
Between them, Sinner and Alcaraz have won each of the last seven Grand Slams. It’s a feat that has ushered in a new tagline for this new era of men’s tennis: the New Two. Together they have staked claim on all the biggest titles available on the ATP tour. They have also set up a riveting rivalry.
They have faced each other four times this year – all in finals. The most gripping one though was at the French Open, when Alcaraz came from two-sets and match points down to win in five.
Overall, world No.2 Alcaraz leads their head-to-head tally 9-5, and by most accounts he is the one expected to end Sinner’s run at the hard-court majors. They will meet in the final in New York should both make it that far.
The Spaniard will begin his campaign against the big-serving 6’ 11” American Reilly Opelka. Along the way he could meet former world No.1 and US Open winner Daniil Medvedev.
And there’s a potential semi-final clash against 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
Elusive 25th Slam
Long before the New Two was the Big Three. An era of men’s tennis in which Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated. Federer and Nadal have long retired. But 38-year-old Djokovic still remains a figure that can’t be ignored.
Since levelling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 singles titles at Majors in the 2023 US Open, another victory has eluded him.
This year, Djokovic has reached the semi-final of all three Slams. But he hasn’t played a competitive match since losing to Sinner at Wimbledon. He claims he wants to save his best for the Majors.
“(I may be) ‘cold’ in terms of the matches, official matches… but I have put in a lot of training in the last three, four weeks,” Djokovic said. “I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family.”
In other words, the four-time US Open champion comes to New York fresh, while his younger opponents have put in a fair number of miles on the court.
The US charge
No US player has won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick triumphed at home in 2003.
The American charge has built up momentum in the last few seasons and cannot be ignored this year. Particularly big-serving Ben Shelton, the world No.6 who won his first ATP 1000-level title in Canada last month. The 22-year-old reached the semi-final in 2023 and is a proven big-match player.
“I’m an entertainer at heart,” he said ahead of the US Open. “But I have kind of figured out what state I need to be in to be locked in, but also having fun at the same time.”
That is a deadly combination. And it just adds to the many storylines on offer starting on Sunday.
