Who can stop the 'Sincaraz' era?

In the early morning of September 8, Alcaraz defeated Sinner to win the 2025 US Open championship. More notably, the two have won all 8 recent Grand Slam titles and are creating an era of "Sincaraz" dominating the world tennis village.

Sinner and Alcaraz are dominating the world of tennis - Photo: REUTERS

"Sincaraz" have won the last eight Grand Slam titles and become the first pair in the Open Era to face each other in three Grand Slam finals in the same season.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz aren't just winning, they're redefining the sport . But amid that absolute dominance, the biggest question is: How to stop them?

'Sincaraz' is too superior

To find out why, we must first understand why they are so superior to the rest. Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of Sinner and Alcaraz's victims, described it quite accurately: "They are shining... when they really want it, it's hard to find another player who can come close to their level.

They have a well-rounded skill set, can play every shot and tennis has evolved into an attacking, physical sport that didn't exist at that intense level 10 years ago.”

This dominance creates a sense of helplessness for opponents. Alexander Bublik, before being destroyed by Sinner 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, called his opponent "an AI-created player".

Meanwhile, Jiri Lehecka had to bitterly admit after losing to the Spanish player in the quarterfinals of the US Open 2025: "Today I encountered the Grand Slam version of Alcaraz. Even when I played a really good shot, trying to put pressure, he was still there. The 2003-born player always does something special."

Sinner and Alcaraz have weaknesses?

Despite their all-around abilities, Sinner and Alcaraz are not invincible machines. Careful analysis, combined with admissions from themselves and their opponents, shows that they have “Achilles’ heels” that can be exploited.

For Carlos Alcaraz, his biggest weakness is his mental fragility. When he's high, he seems unstoppable. But when things go wrong, he loses control, constantly making mistakes and lacking a "Plan B" to turn things around.

The Independent newspaper commented that a persistent, stubborn opponent could drag Alcaraz into a protracted battle, waiting for the moment the Spaniard collapses.

There are also unstable shots to exploit: Alcaraz's second serve remains an attackable point.

Sinner and Alcaraz still have weaknesses for players to exploit - Photo: US OPEN

Besides, forcing him to face unpredictable situations with cuts and changes in rhythm can make Alcaraz lose comfort and make mistakes. As Alcaraz himself once said: "If you are weak, you will lose".

As for Jannik Sinner, his physical handicap is his most obvious and frequently mentioned weakness. The Italian has lost all seven of the longest matches of his career.

The legendary Novak Djokovic, despite admitting to "running out of steam after the second set" when facing the younger generation, inadvertently pointed out the way: "The 5-set-3 format makes facing them extremely difficult." For Sinner, this was the key. Dragging him into the 5th set was the most obvious tactic to wear him down.

At the same time, Sinner himself admits that his ability at the net is still a weakness. He sometimes fumbles and misses easy volleys. Using drop shots or short slices to lure Sinner away from the baseline can be an effective tactic.

Which player to hope for?

It is difficult to find a name that can break into the rankings now and in the next 1-2 years, but there is still hope. Denis Shapovalov, in his 4-set loss to Sinner, brought a positive signal.

Novak Djokovic admits the strength of Sinner and Alcaraz - Photo: REUTERS

Even though he lost in the end, Shapovalov proved one important thing: "Today I was able to put pressure on Sinner. So who says another player can't do the same thing?"

Felix Auger-Aliassime also gave a realistic perspective: "To be honest, in the next match I will not focus more on my opponent than myself. I need to play well. There is no other way." This shows that to face "Sincaraz", players must reach their own peak before thinking about exploiting their opponent's weaknesses.

Ultimately, the truth is still encapsulated in the admission of the greatest of the past era, Novak Djokovic: "If I have to lose to someone, I will lose to these two guys. I know that they are simply better at the moment. You just have to take your hat off to them and say well done."

For a player to break into the "Sincaraz" era requires a perfect combination of extraordinary physicality, steely will and smart tactics. Also, we have to hope that Alcaraz or Sinner has a bad day.

Until that classy name appears, tennis will continue to admire the spectacular dominance of the "big two".

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-du-suc-ngan-can-ky-nguyen-sincaraz-20250907204958967.htm