Rapidly rising cream and Djokovic’s last dance
As the era of the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – came to an end, fans wondered what men’s tennis would look like. Many felt it would be up and down, about two years of intense jostling before the next creamy layer would rise to the top.
But Alcaraz and Sinner have created one of the most seamless transitions ever. The two have won the last eight Majors and, remarkably, met in each of the last three Slam finals.
The season has also added new dimensions to their rivalry. Alcaraz, considered the better player on the natural surface, almost lost his French Open crown to Sinner and was dethroned by the Italian at Wimbledon. But at the US Open, the Spaniard defeated Sinner handsomely, despite the hard court being considered the latter’s favorite surface.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz to win the year-ending ATP Finals, but they have now unlocked areas in the match that previously seemed non-existent. Such was their excellence that the legendary Djokovic, 38, had to play a rather unknown third act. The Serbian reached the semifinals of all four Majors, won career titles No. 100 and 101 and finished the year ranked No. 4. But three of his four defeats at the 2025 Slams were against Alcaraz or Sinner. Does the 24-time Major winner of this great era of tennis still have the energy for one last dance?
Sabalenka: all year round, all surfaces
For the second year in a row, Sabalenka was named WTA player of the year.
In 2023 and 2024, she was the standout athlete, winning three Slams and reaching one final and two semifinals from seven appearances. But this season, although she only won one Major, she raised her game even further. Her first Roland-Garros final proved that she was more than just a hard court player. By reaching a third straight semi-final at the All England Club in three visits, Sabalenka let the world know she was also adept on grass.
Ascension: Aryna Sabalenka had a strong 2023 and 2024, winning three Slams. Although she only claimed one Major this year, the world number 1 found a higher level. | Photo credit: Getty Images
To some extent, the erratic finals she lost to Madison Keys (Australian Open) and Coco Gauff (French Open) questioned her mental state. But a fragile mind doesn’t win a record 22 tiebreaks in one season (88% success rate). In 2026, the Belarusian may even see her generational rivalry flare up with Iga Swiatek, who stepped out of her comfort zone to win her first Wimbledon title.
The never ending season
There is no question that tennis shrinks during the off-season. Players have repeatedly said the calendar was bursting at the seams.
But the problem is a consequence of the dysfunctional state of the tennis governing body. There are seven governing bodies – the International Tennis Federation (ITF), ATP, WTA and the four Majors – and each has a tournament to sell.
In addition to the regular Tour, there are the United Cup, the Laver Cup and older tournaments in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. Three of the four Slams now stretch over three weekends, and almost all Masters 1000 tournaments have grown from their tough, week-long earlier versions to 10-day tournaments. It doesn’t help that eight of the nine Masters are compulsory, and from 2028 Saudi Arabia will host a tenth.
Players are also far from blameless, as they like to earn the big money at exhibitions like the Six Kings Slam. In 2025, the four-day event in Riyadh guaranteed the winner $6 million, more than the prize money at any Grand Slam. Something has to give. When and where?
Forza Italy!
No country has had it better recently than Italy. It has two men in the top 10 in Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, and eight in the top 100. Among women, Jasmine Paolini has consistently remained in the top 10. The strength and depth are so great that Italy won the Davis Cup for the third time in a row and the second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup in 2025.
Italy has also hosted the ATP Finals since 2021 and was home to the Next Gen ATP Finals from 2017 to 2022. This family tree has been meticulously constructed. In 2019, for example, Italy hosted a whopping 18 Challengers, and supplemented by top-notch coaching development programs, the home boys won eight. A young sinner managed to get two, and in the space of twelve months the lanky teenager had risen from outside the top 750 to number 78. The seeds for today’s success may have already been sown.
The rise of the super athlete
Tennis players have been quite successful in becoming endurance athletes. It increasingly appears that they too are developing into strength athletes.
The best example from the recent past is the 5 hour and 29 minute brawl between Alcaraz and Sinner in the final of the French Open. The quality of stroke making, the penetrating strikes from both wings and the power and strength to execute in the sixth hour of tennis made it breathtaking.
Tennis country: No country has had it better recently than Italy. The strength and depth of the Italian talent are so great that the men won a Davis Cup for the third time in a row in 2025. | Photo credit: Getty Images
“You look at how hard Sinner hits the ball… it’s hard to have that intensity every day,” Sebastian Korda told The Hindu a few months ago. “Everything becomes so much faster and everyone becomes so agile and gets into crazy positions. On grass you always took those little steps. But now everyone plays like it’s clay! It’s definitely transforming in a way that tennis hasn’t really seen before.”
It was believed that the likes of Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, both blessed with great height and gigantic wingspans, could rival Alcaraz and Sinner. But they seem to disappear like vehicles in a rearview mirror. Can they hold a candle for ‘Sincaraz’ in 2026?
The India story
There are as many as five Indian men in the doubles top 100. But a country’s tennis value depends solely on its singles health, and in this regard India is unfortunately terminally ill. There is no one in the top 250, male or female.
There was a creditable 3-1 win over Switzerland in a Davis Cup World Group I tie, but apart from Jerome Kym – who was ranked 155th at the time and is now 188th – the country of Federer and Stan Wawrinka did not pose much of a challenge.
The gap was certainly visible in the play-offs of the Billie Jean King Cup in Bengaluru, where the Indian women lost to Slovenia (1-2) and the Netherlands (0-3). With doubles star Rohan Bopanna having retired, even a chance at Slam success will depend on world number 21 Yuki Bhambri.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 00:18 IST
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