Jannik Sinner, left, and Carlos Alcaraz (AP Photo)

The instant Carlos Alcaraz's two-hander sailed wide in the season finale, the tennis world had already turned its gaze to the next calendar. A rivalry of equal measure had been established, spice and steel.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Jannik Sinner's repartee in Turin, an innovation hub of Italian industry, offered some counterweight to the duopoly after Alcaraz had claimed five straight wins against Sinner in 16 months, starting March 2024.One intriguing piece of statistics to emerge was the total points contested between Alcaraz and Sinner. In their 16 Tour-level and above meetings so far, they have contested 3302 points and have both won 1651 points each. But the 22-year-old Alcaraz leads the H2H 10-6. At a spectacularly curated farewell for Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in May, the king of clay pressed on the importance of numbers in a rivalry. Nadal had Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and if that weren't enough, from 2008 to 2016 there was Andy Murray, who made 11 Major finals, winning three.

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“We were three-four of the best rivals,” Nadal said, “When you are only two, you can lose a little bit the motivation because the other starts losing or gets injured, but being four, always one of that four was winning a tournament.”As things stand, Sinner and Alcaraz are out in front, with the closest challenger being the 38-year-old Novak Djokovic, in the hunt for a historic 25th Grand Slam title.

There is no shortage of talent in the early to mid-20s, not unlike the Daniil Medvedev–Alexander Zverev cohort that ran headlong into the Fab Four at their peak.

Two left-handers stand out: Ben Shelton, 23, ranked ninth and armed with a thunderous serve; and Britain's Jack Draper, 24 and ranked 10, whose talent is evident, though the consistency required at the top remains elusive. Holger Rune, 22, suffered a left Achilles tendon injury in October and may not return to the Tour until the second half of 2026, but the Dane has fire both in his shot-making and his temperament.The biggest mover, however, has been Brazil's João Fonseca.

He began the year ranked 145 and, at just 19, has climbed to No. 24, the only teenager inside the ATP's top-100. Still, it is hard to see Fonseca, who won a round at each of the four majors this year, threatening the duopoly in the coming season. Maybe in a couple of years, but not just yet.