Tennis-‘Sincaraz’ in full swing, but ITF chief sees challengers looming

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By Shrivathsa Sridhar

BENGALURU (Reuters) -Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may have turned men’s tennis into a duopoly over the last two years by sweeping the Grand Slams, but International Tennis Federation CEO Ross Hutchins is convinced a new wave of challengers will emerge.

The early 20-somethings, dubbed ‘Sincaraz’, split the majors again this year and clashed in six finals overall, reinforcing their grip on the men’s game and signalling a power shift after the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray.

While 38-year-old Novak Djokovic remains a huge threat as the only active member of the “Big Four” that amassed 69 Grand Slam trophies over two decades, it is the “Sincaraz” rivalry that is defining a new era for the sport.

“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Hutchins told Reuters. “I mean, what a story. Every time that we see amazing players come to the end of their careers, it seems like two, four, six, eight new players pop up and take the level forward to another dimension.”

“What historic champions we’ve had, what amazing players we’ve had in the past. Now these two continue to push each other to new levels. Their serves improve, their forehands improve, their movement improves and their mentality improves.

“They keep taking the sport to another level, which is just embracing the world with such excitement every time they get on court. But the sport has a strong contingency of groups behind them as well.”

Although Spaniard Alcaraz and Italian Sinner have pulled away with a combined 10 majors, Hutchins pointed to emerging talents like Brazilian Joao Fonseca as evidence that the next generation are knocking on the door.

Fonseca won his second tour-level title in Basel last month and the 19-year-old has burst into the top 25 in the world after starting the year ranked number 145.

American teenager Learner Tien impressed by capturing his maiden title in Metz this month, as did Czech 20-year-old Jakub Mensik, who defeated his mentor and 24-times major champion Djokovic to claim the Miami Open crown in March.

“Alcaraz and Sinner have created a gap in terms of their successes, but there are other young players, like Fonseca … I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone that pushes through,” Hutchins added.

“Murray and Djokovic really pushed through once Nadal and Federer took the mantle. Previously, there’s always been people that come through.

“So we can’t predict what’s going to happen next year, but those two (Alcaraz and Sinner) have been red-hot this year and it’s been breathtaking to watch.”

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)