Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s ‘yin and yang’ rivalry hailed by former world No 1

Oli Dickson Jefford 13 Nov 2025 7:30 PM

Pictured: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

ATP Tour stars Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s “yin and yang” rivalry has been praised by former world No 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov as he hailed the two stars as “fantastic” for the sport.

World No 1 Alcaraz and No 2 Sinner have proven to be the two dominant players on the ATP Tour in recent years, and are the heavy favourites to triumph at the ATP Finals this week.

Reigning champion Sinner is looking to become just the ninth man to successfully defend his title at the year-end championships, with Alcaraz looking to claim the title for the first time.

However, with or without success in Turin this week, both the Spaniard and the Italian have continued to dominate the men’s game in 2025.

The pair have now swept the last eight Grand Slam tournaments between them, with Novak Djokovic’s 2023 US Open win the last time a player not named Alcaraz or Sinner won a men’s singles major.

Alcaraz and Sinner also met in consecutive French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open finals this season, becoming the first men in the Open Era to meet in three Grand Slam finals in the same year.

Over 5,000 ranking points currently separate world No 2 Sinner and world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the ATP Rankings, highlighting the gap over the rest of the ATP that the two have forged.

Alcaraz leads the head-to-head between the two 10-5, though their rivalry has already proven to be one of the most compelling in recent times.

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And Kafelnikov, a former Olympic gold medallist — and multiple-time Grand Slam winner in both singles and doubles — is among those revelling in Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry.

Speaking to the ATP Tour in Turin this week, the former world No 1 heaped praise on the two following a historic level of dominance in recent months.

He said: “Fantastic for tennis. It would be not great if only one would be dominating because the charisma of both, they kind of match each other. It’s like yin and yang.

“One is one style, the other one is completely different, and that’s what fans like. No question. You see it here in Turin, Jannik is selling the stadium as well as Carlos. They’re both great for tennis, absolutely.”

With Alcaraz and Sinner having seemingly moved further away from their potential rivals in 2025, all eyes are on who could potentially challenge them in the future.

One player often suggested as a potential rival for the two is rising star Joao Fonseca, with the 19-year-old long recognised as one of the hottest prospects in the men’s game.

The Brazilian started the year at 145th in the ATP Rankings but finished the season ranked 24th in the world, winning ATP Tour titles in Buenos Aires and Basel.

Though Fonseca is a step or two away from Alcaraz and Sinner at the moment, Kafelnikov believes that the teen star could find himself in ATP Finals contention sooner rather than later.

“Fonseca obviously with all the things he’s done this year and winning the big tournaments like, for example, Basel just recently a couple of months ago, he could definitely be the one that we should look at next year,” added Kafelnikov.

“If he continues to do what he does, I’m sure if not next year, then the year after he will be here [in Turin].”