Naomi Osaka’s old coach explains why tennis fans are ‘so lucky’ to have Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

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The main story of the 2025 tennis season has been Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible rivalry with Jannik Sinner.

Dubbed the ‘new two’, Alcaraz and Sinner have played each other exclusively in tour-level finals this year, with three of the clashes coming at Grand Slams.

In title bouts at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, the Spaniard and the Italian have produced enthralling matches, operating at a level far greater than everyone else.

Both stars look set to dominate once again in 2026, with no sign of a third star capable of competing with them on the horizon.

While many will feel a two-horse race will quickly get stale, Naomi Osaka‘s former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, says fans are lucky to have Sinner and Alcaraz.

Patrick Mouratoglou discusses Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “Sinner and Alcaraz. What a rivalry, because those guys are so close, because they are so dominant, because they play such amazing tennis.

“We are lucky to have those two. Of course, we remember the trio with Novak, Roger and Rafa. It’s a duo this time, but what they’ve done this year, and this is what I want to talk about, is unbelievable.

“They played for the first time in history three Grand Slam finals in a row in a single year. This simply never happened in the history of our game. Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open, and on top of it, they played the final of the ATP finals.

“So, I mean such dominance, such a level of tennis, such rivalry in which one beats the other one, the other one understands what he needs to work on, and he comes back in the next tournament, and it’s the other one who wins. I mean, this rivalry is a joke.

“If you look at the level of tennis they play, and how much they still improve because of or thanks to that rivalry, that is what makes it so magic.

“But also the number of points and the difference between them and the number three, which is as many points as between the number three and the number one thousand in the world.

“It says everything about how unbelievable they are and how much is going to be difficult for a third one or a fourth one to get into the loop and have a chance to win a Grand Slam in the following years.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s coaching split may have presented an opportunity

The news that has emerged surrounding Alcaraz this week could present an opportunity to a third star to snap the dominance of the top two.

In a shocking move, Alcaraz split with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, just weeks before the start of the Australian Open.

Ferrero was the 22-year-old’s longtime mentor, who had guided him to all six of his Grand Slam crowns, and was in Alcaraz’s corner during his best season to date in 2025.

Alcaraz may not see any regression at all with a new coach, but should the switch-up hinder his performances, the likes of Joao Fonseca and Jack Draper will have a great chance of reaching their first Grand Slam final in Melbourne.