Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could be about to start a new dynasty at the top of men’s tennis, with one leading tennis voice giving Tennis365 his verdict on which of the two new greats of the men’s game will win the most Grand Slams.
Alcaraz has already had a spell as world No 1 and is a two-time Grand Slam champion after his wins at the 2022 US Open and his epic win against Novak Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final.
Sinner’s rise over the course of the last six months will reach a crescendo when he is crowned as Italy’s first ever world No.1 player, ending Djokovic’s long reign at the top of the rankings.
With the Serbian likely to miss Wimbledon after he underwent knee surgery on the injury that forced him to withdraw from the French Open ahead of his quarter-final against Casper Ruud, the path may be clear for a new era in tennis.
Alcaraz and Sinner may be exchanging positions at the top of the ATP Rankings over the next few years, but which one of the duo will end their careers with the most Grand Slam titles?
We need to reevaluate what success looks like for a top player after an era that has seen three players collect 20 or more Grand Slam titles for the first time in the history of the sport.
If Alcaraz and Sinner get more than eight major titles over the course of their careers, that would put them high up the list of all-time greats and we asked respected tennis voice Robbie Koenig to pin his colours to the mast over one of the big talking points in tennis.
Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 ahead of the launch of the Curro Centre Court Series, which will bring a new level of top-quality tournaments to South Africa this summer, respected broadcaster Koenig backed Alcaraz to come out on top on the battle with his great friend and rival Sinner.
“Who is going to win more Slams out of Alcaraz and Sinner? You just never know,” Koenig told Tennis365.
“I’m going to preempt my prediction by looking back at Michael Change when he broke through and won his first major. We thought he was going to win multiple majors after he broke through.
“Then you look at Andy Murray and Gael Monfils… if you told me Andy was the one that would win 14 Masters 1000 titles and three Slams while Monfils would win none, I would think you were bonkers.
“But, if someone gave me a million bucks and said I had to pick one from Alcaraz or Sinner to have the more successful career, I’d probably just go with Alcaraz.”
The battle between Alcaraz and Sinner could be the primary narrative in the men’s game over the next few years and Koenig is convinced the two young guns can drive the sport following the exits of the iconic trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“You don’t want players to be the same,” added Koenig, who won five ATP Tour doubles titles and the semifinals of the 1998 US Open. “We had that contract with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the early years and what Djokovic brings to the party is very different to those two.
“The fact that Sinner and Alcaraz are such good friends and regularly practice together adds another dimension to this rivalry because that wasn’t the case with Roger, Rafa and Novak.
“Alcaraz is just a joy. When someone hits a good shot against him, he almost laughs because he enjoys it so much. It’s just fantastic!
“That is a great way of dissipating frustration. He laughs off his disappointment by saying ‘man, this guy is so good’. I think that helps to keep him calm and relaxed and play well in the big moments.
“Alcaraz and Sinner also seem to relish the big moments and I remember doing their five-hour match at the US Open a couple of years back and it felt like an hour. It was so enjoyable. The quality was good good. These two guys are great for our sport.”
Robbie Koenig spoke to Tennis365 as he welcomed the creation of a new local tennis tournament that forms part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour. Hosted by Curro Holdings in partnership with Tennis South Africa (TSA), the Curro Centre Court Series will take place at Curro Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal.
