Casper Ruud makes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner confession as he admits he was ‘wrong’
Casper Ruud has spoken to Tennis365 about the Grand Slam landscape in men’s tennis ahead of Wimbledon and made a claim about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance.
From the 2024 Australian Open to the 2026 Australian Open, Alcaraz and Sinner won nine consecutive Grand Slam titles between them, with the Spaniard securing five and the Italian claiming four.
Alcaraz and Sinner met in the finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open last year, which saw them become the first players in the Open Era to face off in three straight Grand Slam championship matches in the same season.
Alexander Zverev — at least temporarily — broke the Alcaraz-Sinner Grand Slam duopoly at the 2026 French Open, where he defeated Flavio Cobolli in the final to claim his maiden major title. Alcaraz did not compete in Paris due to a wrist injury, while Sinner suffered a shock second round exit.
The rise of Alcaraz and Sinner followed the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — who are widely considered to be the three greatest players in the history of men’s tennis.
From Federer’s first Grand Slam victory at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships to Djokovic’s most recent triumph at the 2023 US Open, the Big Three won an astonishing 66 of the 81 majors held.
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In an interview with Tennis365 at the Hurlingham Club, Ruud was asked if Alcaraz and Sinner’s streak of consecutive majors ending has had any impact on how he views the opportunity to win Grand Slams.
The 27-year-old Norwegian, who is a three-time Grand Slam finalist, offered a thoughtful response as he recalled an opinion he had about the Big Three.
“I remember I said some years ago when the Big Three stepped down it would be more open for others to win, and then I was obviously quite wrong when Sinner and Alcaraz started winning their first ones, and then they just kind of dominated at the Slams,” said the former world No 2, who is currently ranked 12th.
“But then, I think when I said that, I don’t think Alcaraz and Sinner had kind of announced themselves yet as the big names that they are, and no one could, maybe, foresee that happening at that point.
“But they were there to take those spots, and deservedly so. But when for some reason they don’t make second week, or they don’t make the later stages at Slams, yes, you will see openings and maybe new names making a deep run. And that’s exciting.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be there on the final Sunday at a Slam before. This time it was Sascha and Flavio, and Flavio got to experience that for the first time.
“And I think as more and more people see that it’s not always the same names making the later stages, it will be motivating, for sure.”
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