What to expect from Carlos and Jannik in 2026 as year three of the Sincaraz Era begins

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner make a tennis ball move as quickly as any two players the sport has ever seen. So maybe it’s fitting that their rivalry, and their conquest of the men’s tour, has evolved at lightning speed. Believe it or not, year three of the Sincaraz Era is already upon us.

Neither is 25 yet, but they’ve ruled virtually unopposed for two seasons. They’ve split the last eight majors—four apiece—and in 2025 they only tightened their dual grip at the top. Alcaraz won three Masters 1000s in a single year for the first time. Sinner, despite missing Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo due to a suspension, nearly caught Alcaraz for No. 1 at the wire. The Spaniard finished with 12,050 points, the Italian finished with 11,500—and the third-ranked player, Alexander Zverev, was left huffing and puffing—and questioning his own abilities—somewhere back in the dust with 5,160 points. If the race had been on a track, No. 1 and 2 would have lapped No. 3.

At 24 and 22, respectively, Sinner and Alcaraz have put the rest of the current ATP in the rearview mirror. Maybe more impressive, though, is how they’ve put the ATP’s recent past there, too. We’re coming out of a 20-year Golden Age led by what the numbers tell us are the three greatest male players in history, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Yet we hear remarkably little nostalgia for the glory days of the Big 3. Alcaraz is every bit the must-see acrobat that Federer and Nadal were, while Sinner is every bit as clinical and consummate in his attack as Djokovic. Why mourn the Big 3 when the “New 2”—a nickname that needs to be retired ASAP—are entering their primes?

So what should we expect from them in 2026? Here are four things to watch for from their rivalry in the new year.

Another trip to the mountaintop

When it comes to men’s rivalries, it traditionally takes a five-set epic to lift them into immortality—Federer-Nadal at Wimbledon in 2008, Borg-McEnroe on the same court in 1980, Laver-Rosewall in the 1972 WCT Final. Sinner and Alcaraz, with their five-set, five and a half hour Roland Garros final in June, have already created a match and a memory worthy of those showdowns.

What are the chances they give us another trip or two up the mountain this year? These types of classics obviously don’t grow on trees. Federer and Nadal were 26 and 22, respectively, when they met at Wimbledon in 2008. Over the next 11 years, they would play 22 more times, but only two of those matches would go five sets.

Jannik and Carlitos also came down to earth in their Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2025; both were relatively one-sided four-setters. That said, these two seem uniquely capable of many more epics, for a few reasons.

At 24 and 22, respectively, Sinner and Alcaraz have put the rest of the current ATP in the rearview mirror. Maybe more impressive, though, is how they’ve put the ATP’s recent past there, too.

First, they’ve already played two other five-setters, one of which, at the 2022 US Open, was a shot-making extravaganza that lasted until 2:50 A.M.

Second, their games translate to all surfaces, giving them a chance to face off on nearly even terms at each of the majors and Masters 1000s. The best-of-three format at the Masters has produced plenty of epics of its own.

Third, while they have different strengths, neither has a serious weakness, both are entering their primes, both have shown the willingness and ability to make chances and improve, and neither seems prone to early upset losses anymore.

Fourth, each is one major away from a career Grand Slam. Alcaraz needs the Australian Open, while Sinner needs Roland Garros. That should serve as strong motivation for both.

If all goes well, they could meet eight, nine, 10 times in 2026. Each will have a chance to be the match of the year.

Champions adjusting

“Champions adjust” is Billie Jean King’s second-most famous statement. Sinner and Alcaraz proved her right in 2025. Both learned from their losses to the other, and immediately implemented changes that worked—and made them champions again.

After losing to Sinner in the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz recognized that the Italian had been successful attacking his second serve, so he made sure to rectify that, and reclaim the initiative, when they met again in the US Open final.

Then it was Sinner’s turn to learn. After losing to Alcaraz in New York, he said he needed to make his game more flexible in order to counter Alcaraz’s superior variety. Voilà, that’s exactly what Sinner did in their next meeting, two months later, when he edged Alcaraz in two close sets at the ATP Finals.

While Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 10-6, right now neither man walks on court as the favorite against the other. That bodes well for the quality and competitiveness of their matches in 2026.

The end of one partnership, and the continuation of another

Amidst that parity, there will be one big difference between the two as the new season starts: their coaching situation. Alcaraz stunned the sports world in mid-December when he announced his split with his longtime mentor, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the man most responsible for harnessing his talent and taking him to No. 1. We don’t know who initiated the move yet, or why. But Ferrero has always been a stickler for year-round dedication, and there have been times in the past when the young and free-spirited Alcaraz chafed at his demands.

This past fall, when Alcaraz dyed his hair blond, I wondered whether it was a small statement of independence from his coach. A few years ago, Alcaraz mentioned to his friends and team that he was contemplating a dye job. Ferrero had done the same thing when he was around the same age, but he regretted it in retrospect. He advised Alcaraz against the move, and Alcaraz listened. Until, finally, he didn’t.

We’ve seen other top players move on from early coaches without any major issues. Federer won his first Slam with Peter Lundgren at Wimbledon in 2003, split with him at the end of the year, and never looked back. But Alcaraz-Ferrero had a seven-year partnership that went beyond the tennis court. They also worked together in the era of on-court coaching; Ferrero constantly dispensed advice and encouragement during matches, and Alcaraz could look a little lost when he wasn’t there.

Whatever the reason for the breakup, it doesn’t come at an opportune moment for Alcaraz. The Australian Open, which begins in less than a month, is the only major he hasn’t won—in fact, he has yet to make a semifinal there. In recent years, he has been slow out of the gates Down Under, even with his old coach in his ear. Now he’ll need to ramp himself up for a Slam without Ferrero’s fatherly prodding.

Getting ready for the Australian Open also means, more than likely, getting ready for another final with Sinner, who is the two-time defending champion. As of this summer, it seemed as if Sinner would be the guy looking for a new coach in 2026. But the fact that Darren Cahill agreed to stay on for another year will only make him tougher to knock off his perch in Melbourne.

Is there a third wheel somewhere?

After the heights they reached in Paris, the Wimbledon and US Open finals between Sinner and Alcaraz were relative letdowns. That’s hardly surprising; as I wrote above, epic matches don’t happen every day, or every month. Sometimes they never happen again.

Still, those two finals were a sign that, like anything else that happens all the time, even Sinner vs. Alcaraz could get old. We never had to worry about that with Federer and Nadal, because Djokovic crashed their two-man party not long after it began. Roger and Rafa had the top mostly to themselves for four years, from 2005 to 2008. Sinner and Alcaraz are entering their third year there together. Could they use their own Djokovic to shake things up?

Djokovic types obviously don’t grow on trees, either. And there’s no one on the way up who looks remotely like a future 24-Slam winner. But there are a couple of young lefties who might be able to stand in the way of a Sincaraz final here and there.

Jack Draper, 23, has wins over both guys, and he had a breakthrough 2025 that sent him into the Top 10 for the first time. Ben Shelton is also 23, also left-handed, and also had his best season last year. His 1-11 record against Sinner and Alcaraz doesn’t sound promising, but he has the serve and forehand to take the racquet out of anyone’s hand for a couple of sets.

Other possible challengers could include Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul among the older guard, and Joao Fonseca, Flavio Cobolli, and Holger Rune among the younger.

Sinner and Alcaraz may need a third wheel soon. And it may take Alcaraz some time to settle in with whoever he chooses to succeed Ferrero. But there’s no reason to think the Sincaraz Era is coming to an end anytime soon.