What’s the common thing that ties all of the last eight Grand Slams? All of them had a Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner final! Yes, the mind-boggling statistic is enough to highlight how the Italian and the Spaniard have definitively established themselves as the most scintillating rivals of tennis in the modern era. However, many veterans and icons of the sport seem to believe that it isn’t blind luck that continues to pit Sinner and Alcaraz every time.

Just a few days ago, Roger Federer spoke his mind about how the homogeneous court conditions have taken away the unprecedented nature that used to be the cornerstone of tennis. “That’s why we, the tournament directors, we need to fix it. We need to have not only fast courts, but what we would want to see is Alcaraz or Sinner figure it out on lightning fast, and then have the same match on super slow and see how that matches up,” the Swiss legend called for a change in how the tournaments are set up. And it seems like Alexander Zverev feels the same way about the whole debate.

After defeating Valentine Royer in the Round of 64 at the Shanghai Masters, the German star talked about his thoughts on the tournament organizers’ bias toward Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. In an X post by Christian’s Court from October 3, Zverev’s comments were shared. “I hate when [court speeds are] the same. And I know that the tournament directors are going towards that direction because obviously they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament,” Zverev said about the slower court speeds that have become the norm today.

However, he couldn’t help but remember how things used to be. “We always had different surfaces — you couldn’t play the same tennis the same way on a grass court, hard court and a clay court,” Zverev said, “Nowadays you can play almost the same way on every surface,” summing up his frustrations. His words reflected the same thoughts as Federer’s, who had also posited that the slower courts help tournament hosts to make sure that the final matches are played out between Sinner and Alcaraz.

Well, they aren’t wrong. Even when it’s not a Grand Slam, both Carlos and Jannik frequently make the headlines. At this year’s Italian Open, the homegrown star and the 22-year-old met each other once again, with the latter wriggling out a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win on the clay court. With that victory, Alcaraz broke Sinner’s 26-match winning streak en route to winning his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title.

Obviously, these matches remove any doubt regarding how dominant both Sinner and Alcaraz have become. On the other hand, their colleagues can be seen visibly struggling. At today’s match, Zverev landed 27 winners and 15 unforced errors, while also dishing out 12 aces and defending all five break points. However, in the second set, after the first point, Alexander called for a medical timeout, after being visibly in discomfort thanks to a pain in his right foot.

While he did power through the trouble to claim his 160th ATP Masters 1000 win, fans could speculate whether the court speeds are what caused his body to give out. But whatever it was, one this is for sure: The team members of Jannik Sinner firmly believe that he and Alcaraz stand in a league of their own by their own right.

Believers of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz aren’t in short supply

Simone Vagnozzi, Jannik’s coach, knows well that his student has a skillset that isn’t easily matched. With Novak Djokovic also showing his age, there isn’t anyone to stand in the way of Sinner and Alcaraz. While the rivalry between these two ATP sensations has the fans’ applause, the coach also admitted that both Sinner and Alcaraz have carved out their places much higher than the rest.

“Let’s think about Jannik: now everyone makes his victories look normal…The boys are there, but then they have to take important steps to get to Jannik and Carlos,” Vagnozzi said only recently, highlighting the high regard he has not only for Jannik, but also for the latter’s arch-nemesis. His thoughts were mirrored by Alex Michelsen during a recent podcast interview. “I mean it’s it’s just like, there’s there’s nothing that us poor guys can do against those guys as of right now. I mean, it’s just, I don’t think anyone genuinely believes it anymore,” the American said, grinning.

Well, at the Shanghai Masters, Zverev could have the chance to break the spell. With Alcaraz sitting out the competition, Jannik Sinner, coming off his second China Open title, will try to reclaim his No. 1 spot in Shanghai. If Zverev and Sinner cross paths at the ATP 500 competition, do you think the German will be able to become the one to show that the Sinner-Alcaraz jinx is just another urban myth? Or will the Italian once again prove his supremacy without hindrance? Share your predictions below!