Can anyone displace Sinner or Alcaraz?
Monday’s Cincinnati Open final taught us very little, despite Carlos Alcaraz cruising until a dejected and under-the-weather Jannik Sinner threw the towel in while trailing 5-0 in the opening set. Many of us expected the match to offer an indicator of how things may go in a potential third consecutive Major final meeting between, undoubtedly, the two best players in the world at this year’s US Open.
This wasn’t the case, with Sinner apologising to the fans for his inability to continue.
Jannik Sinner as quoted in The Guardian: I’m super sorry to disappoint you. From yesterday, I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night. It came up worse. I tried to come out and make it at least a small match, but I couldn’t handle more. I’m very, very sorry for all of you.
Sinner has demonstrated dominance on hardcourt since picking up his first Grand Slam in Melbourne at the beginning of 2024. He subsequently cruised to glory at Flushing Meadows in September, before winning the ATP Finals to close out a brilliant season.
Sinner in Cincinnati (phot courtesy BBC)
Having successfully defended the Australian Open this year, it will be interesting to see if he can recover, return to his best, and win consecutive US Open titles. In doing so, he would break a bizarre run that has seen no man defend their crown in New York since Roger Federer in 2008, when he enjoyed a dominant spell that saw him become champion five times in a row.
Carlos Alcaraz won the first of his five Majors at lushing Meadows in 2022, the sole hardcourt Grand Slam triumph of his career. The classy Spaniard wished his rival well after the final in Cincinnati: “I just gotta say sorry. Know and understand how you can feel right now. All I can say… as I said many, many times, you are truly a champion.”
His recent performances on the surface have been inconsistent, but he looks set to act as Sinner’s biggest threat, with the pair seemingly on a collision course for yet another final.
Sinner proved too much for the world No. 2 at Wimbledon, demonstrating a great deal of strength to mentally recover from Alcaraz’s remarkable comeback in Paris the previous month.
There are also several other players who are looking to upset the apple cart.
Taylor Fritz had a strong run at SW19 and reached the final at the US Open last year, but after Ben Shelton’s heroics in Toronto and solid runs in prior Slams, he may pose a bigger threat than his compatriot at their home Major.
Alexander Zverev has regained some recent form, having reached the latter stages in Toronto and Cincinnati. The German will be looking to finally break the curse, having lost three Grand Slam finals, the latter of which was a bruising defeat to Sinner in Australia earlier this season.
Novak Djokovic still has aspirations of a 25th Grand Slam, but struggled to keep up with Sinner at Wimbledon. However, he has consistently proved over the years that he cannot be overlooked.
With the last of this year’s four big tournaments on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if anyone can displace the dominant Sinner or the inevitable Alcaraz. Having said that, it would take something special for an outsider to eclipse them and become the 2025 US Open champion.
