With his triumph at the US Open, Italian Jannik Sinner finished sharing the four Grand Slam trophies of the year with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the two undisputed leaders of the new generation of tennis.
For the first time since 2002, no major title has ended up in the hands of the so-called ‘Big 3’ made up of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, who dominated the sport with an iron fist in this century.
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With Federer retired and Nadal absent, Djokovic was the last giant standing at the US Open, but Australian Alexei Popyrin showed him the exit in the third round and he finished the season without a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017.
Alcaraz, who had a string of victories at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was also surprisingly eliminated in his second match, opening the door wide for Sinner’s second major victory after the Australian Open in January.
“It’s something new, but it’s also nice to see,” Sinner said. “I think it is very good for the sport to have new champions.”
The Italian, world number one, defeated American Taylor Fritz, a debutant at that height, in the final by 6-3, 6-4 and 7-5.
Since Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas in 1977, no player has won his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
The 23-year-old Italian still has Alcaraz ahead of him in that race, who at 21 already has four ‘Majors’ in his showcase, having made a more dazzling start than those of the ‘Big 3’.
Djokovic did not make his debut until the 2011 US Open when he was 24. Nadal was 22 when he won his fourth Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2008, while Federer was 23 when he reached that milestone at the 2004 US Open.
Alcaraz and Sinner, good friends off the court, have left far behind the previous generation, that of the German Alexander Zverev or the Greek Stefanos Tsisipas, who were one step away from the trophy.
Only 28-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev also has a Grand Slam (2021 US Open) before turning 30.
In the ATP rankings, the victory in New York consolidated Sinner’s position at the top, while Alcaraz and Djokovic were overtaken by Zverev, the new number two.
Far from the Big 3
As brilliant as their careers are, Alcaraz and Sinner have a long way to go to reach the summit of the ‘Big 3’.
Djokovic, 37, has 24 Grand Slam titles, more than any other male player. One more would equal Margaret Court’s all-time record.
Retired Roger Federer was 36 years and five months old when he won his 20th and final Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open.
Nadal, 38, is close to retirement, burdened by his injuries and with 22 titles.
Fritz, Sinner’s victim in the US Open final, noted that these events are more open than ever without the presence of the three titans.
“I don’t think you have to play amazing to go deep in tournaments and compete,” the American said after playing his first Grand Slam final at age 26.
Djokovic will contest the Davis Cup with Serbia in Belgrade, while Nadal, who has not played since the Olympics, will take part in the Laver Cup in Berlin from 20 September.
Both are likely to face questions about their future plans in a sport they dominated for the best part of two decades but whose time appears to be drawing to a close.
