Since time immemorial, tennis has given us rivalries that have amazed and enthralled the fans. Every few years, we get something special; be it Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert or John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg or the rivalry between the Williams sisters. But one rivalry that has really stood out, not just because of the competitiveness but also the respect and friendship between two individuals is Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And now, perhaps there is hope that we will get to witness another such exciting rivalry that is budding between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Fondly monikered ‘Fedal’, the years of competition between the two giants of the game is often considered one of the best rivalries not just in tennis but sports in general. And despite Novak Djokovic entering the picture and making things even more exciting and extending the rivalry into a three way, something had to give. And in this case, that something was Federer retiring from the game in September.
Fedal was responsible for quite a lot of fan interest and eyeballs from across the globe. And in recent years, many of these fans have been wondering where the excitement would come from once either or both of Federer and Nadal retired, especially given the many questions and doubts surrounding Federer’s recovery following multiple knee surgeries.
Now, as things stand currently, Roger Federer has retired, and Rafa Nadal seems to be in the final stages of his career. So what next? Whom do we look to for the next big rivalry in tennis?
This is where the two most promising youngsters come in- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Pushing each other to greater heights
Carlos Alcaraz, 20, has already taken the tennis world by storm, winning the US Open last year and also becoming the youngest men’s top ranked player in the world. While he has struggled with some nagging injuries following the Major, there is no doubt about the Spaniard’s talent and winning mentality.
Toppling Novak Djokovic off the top spot and becoming the world No. 1 is no small feat and Alcaraz did just that, with style. However, Carlos is no longer the top ranked player with Djokovic taking over the spot again. And who is responsible for this? Jannik Sinner of course!
Sinner, 21, faced Alcaraz at the Miami Open in the semis and came back from a set down to win 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. It was one of those matches that really etches itself in the minds of those who witnessed it. Such matches also produce some points and rallies that you simply can never forget. While this match had plenty of those, one stood out as a contender for the point of the year.
Sinner and Alcaraz’s comments on the point were quite telling you could say.
“It was a very physical point. I lost the game after that one. But yeah, as I said, you always need two players to make these kind of points,” said Sinner.
While Alcaraz had this to say,
“It was [an] unbelievable point. When I lost that point, the first thing that came to my mind is like, ‘He’s unbeatable, this guy’…But of course against Jannik [there are] always great points like this one.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to take over from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Jannik Sinner’s victory over Alcaraz came just days after the result had gone the other way at the Indian Wells Masters where the Spaniard won 7-6(4), 6-3. From all their clashes, we can expect both players to keep wanting to one-up the other. And whenever we have seen such talent going up against one another, the individuals have always benefited by pushing themselves to their limits and evolving into better athletes.
The quality of tennis these two produce consistently on the court and especially when they face one another is proof enough about their talent. And clearly, looking at their conduct and comments, there is also a lot of respect and wariness for each other.
We have all the ingredients for a great rivalry here. Perhaps even one that could fill the void left by the dismantling of the Fedal rivalry. Even Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to think so.
“Alcaraz-Sinner is a great rivalry in my opinion, starting from the fact that they are two players practically the same age, something similar to the Nadal-Federer’s rivalry, although it is true that there was a significant age gap between them.”
Sinner and Alcaraz have faced one another 6 times already, winning three apiece. And pretty much every time the two have met, they have produced exciting and competitive matches.
It is of course too early to declare the rivalry as the successor to the one between Federer and Nadal; both youngsters still have a long way to go to deserve that kind of talk but they certainly do have everything in their bag to reach that level. They now need to be very consistent over the next decade or so.
Keeping injury free is going to be a vital factor in this too. Fortunately for all tennis aficionados, Roger Federer did not have to deal with a lot of injuries over the course of his career. His style of tennis ensured he preserved his body well until age caught up with him.
While Rafa Nadal has certainly struggled with injuries throughout his career, he always roared back as good as new, if not better. He made it seem easy but it was far from being so. Coming back from an injury takes more than just hard work- it takes fierce determination, drive and mental fortitude and Nadal has always had that in abundance.
So the big question is, can Sinner and Alcaraz display the same level of professionalism and consistency and do the same?
As in any sport, there is always someone new and young waiting to take over. While it may seem right now that nothing can replace the Fedal rivalry, it is bound to happen someday. Can we hope it happens sooner than expected and that Sinner and Alcaraz can take over and entertain us for the next decade or so?
And just to add to the fun, perhaps a certain someone named Holger Rune can be the Djokovic to Sinner and Alcaraz’s Federer and Nadal.
That would make for a good new Big Three. But we are getting ahead of ourselves; for now, let’s just sit back and enjoy watching the budding new rivalry unfold and grow.
