Why the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry needs the rest of men’s tennis to step up

Alcasinner, on the other hand, won 100 percent of all grand slam finals in the last two years. Where one won, the other was often on the other side.

Nothing like this has been seen in tennis, even for a short time. They took tennis to an unknown level. But there is a problem. The other side of superiority is unpredictability. Is Alcasinner threatening to take away the glorious uncertainty from their sport?

The Federer-Nadal-Djokovic hegemony was interrupted by players who would have been megastars in another era. Wawrinka and Andy Murray won three slams each; Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic must have cursed their stars for being born at the wrong time; Daniil Medvedev undoubtedly still is. As soon as he outlived Djokovic, he fell under Alcasinner’s influence. No wonder he thinks the world is against him.

There was tension, drama and personality recurring in the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era. Federer had to overcome his ruthless perfectionist temper before it derailed him. Djokovic always looked down and out due to injury in the third round and he cruised to victory with the best defensive play of all time. Nadal was the ultimate grinder, grinding from the backcourt, extreme in achievement but weak in temperament.

Everyone had a favorite among the Three, their preferences forming as their personalities emerged during the fight. Struggle was the most important element. Apart from Federer’s brief golden age before Djokovic arrived, it looked like nothing would ever come easy, even for the Three. They owed their popularity to the high quality of what and who they had to overcome.

We’re still waiting for Alcasinner to come up with that personal definition. They can only be as good as the person they have to beat, but who did they beat? The next layer seems to have sunk into despair.

There’s such a personality gap in men’s tennis that Nick Kyrgios’ sweet treats are still appreciated.

Alexander Zverev, who is already hard to sympathize with after the domestic violence case, becomes even more sullen as he gets closer to Alcasinner. The rest of the top 10 is filled with Alcasinner wreckage. Below them, there are faces like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud, who were once great hopes, but now they are not filled.

As much as the Aussies want Alex de Minaur to beat Alcaraz and then Sinner to win the grand slam, it is a test of hope with no previous evidence to justify it. De Minaur is one of the world’s top 10 players, but like almost everyone else in the top 10 or 20, he has never played in a grand slam final, let alone won one.

The exception here is Djokovic. But if the 38-year-old is still the best bet to beat the duo (just like Stan Wawrinka has more durability than a 21-year-old) isn’t that cause for concern?

Heavily curated social media and “behind the scenes” documentaries like Break Point have also failed in their promise to add personal texture. There is at least some friction in the women’s game on and off the field; It doesn’t sound like the women’s side of the Australian Open will have to wait two weeks for the obvious final.

Meanwhile, there’s such a personality gap in men’s tennis that Nick Kyrgios’ sweet treats are still appreciated.

Thanks to social media, we can see that Alcaraz dyed his hair and is a good golfer. The sinner went to a restaurant. He probably could have been an Olympic skier. Even the drug case was prosecuted in no uncertain terms, depriving us of the stirrings of malicious hatred. The most interesting thing about him during the first week of the Open was the shifting tones in his clothes.

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All that’s left is tennis, and as purists will ask, shouldn’t tennis be enough? Yes, yes. Tennis is superior. Maybe he’s too superior for his own good.

To male contestants: Please do something. Protect your sport from the inevitable. Tennis needs you. In the long run, Alcasinner needs you too.