Alex de Minaur is confident that an ATP player can “step up” and challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
De Minaur’s comments come amid the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner, who most notably have combined to win each of the last nine Grand Slam titles.
The Spaniard has claimed five of those titles and the Italian has clinched the other four, with Novak Djokovic’s 2023 US Open glory representing the last success outside of Alcaraz and Sinner.
Their dominance has now been discussed by ATP number six De Minaur, who believes someone can rival the duo in the near future.
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Alex de Minaur thinks a Big Three can be formed with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Asked by the ATP on X who could be a contender to join Alcaraz and Sinner in a new Big Three, De Minaur said: “To join Carlos and Jannik to create a Big Three is by no means going to be easy.
“As we’ve seen over the years, you had the Big Three, Big Four. Andy [Murray] came along. You had Stan [Wawrinka], [Juan Martin] del Potro.
“So I do think that there’s going to be opportunities there. The goal is for myself to be in the conversation.
“Whoever wants to be in position seriously needs to step up, and that’s the only way to get there.
“But I do think there’s a real chance and possibility in the next coming years for someone to step up.”
The Big Three is, of course, a reference to the legendary trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who once completely dominated the game.
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Daniil Medvedev states how Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have changed
Medvedev was among the other ATP players tasked with discussing a potential Big Three forming in men’s tennis.
He commented: “For sure someone can join them. Both Sinner and Alcaraz at one point, there were questions, could they be consistent?
“And then they managed to just put themselves at the top of the game, and now it’s rare that someone can beat them.”
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | Carlos Alcaraz |
| 2026 | Carlos Alcaraz | – | – | – |
It is indeed very rare that a player can get past Alcaraz and Sinner, but it importantly is certainly not impossible.
Medvedev now has a chance to do exactly that at Indian Wells, where he is seeking revenge against the Spaniard after losing back-to-back finals there not long ago.
But across three tournaments in 2026, nobody has managed to defeat the world number one yet, which hasn’t been the case for Sinner.
The Italian was beaten by Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, before suffering a shock loss to Jakub Mensik in Qatar.
Like Alcaraz and Medvedev, Sinner is also into the semifinals of Indian Wells, where he takes on Alexander Zverev.
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