Carlos Alcaraz came agonisingly close to a Wimbledon three-peat, but ultimately it was his rival, Jannik Sinner, who prevented him from making history.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz in the final at the All England Club to lift his second Grand Slam title of the season, and fourth overall.
The Spaniard was a set to the good against the Italian, and was closing in on a sixth major crown, but the world number one fought back to emerge victorious in SW19.
Despite the loss to Sinner, the 2025 season has been a success so far for Alcaraz, having won Roland Garros for the second time and reaching the championship match at Wimbledon.
Now, heading into the North American hard-court swing, it may just be about to get even better for the 22-year-old.
Carlos Alcaraz’s golden opportunity in the US Open build-up
After winning Wimbledon again last year, Alcaraz suffered a dip in form on the ATP Tour in the tournaments that followed.
He withdrew from the Canadian Open to recover from his run at the Olympics, and then entered the Cincinnati Open, where he had reached the final the year before.
Alcaraz lost in the first round to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati, which was the only US Open tune-up event he would feature at in 2024.
| Tournament | Result | Lost to |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Open | First Round | Gael Monfils |
| US Open | Second Round | Botic van de Zandschulp |
At Flushing Meadows, he defeated Li Tu in round one, but then crashed out in his second match to Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets.
As a result, Alcaraz only has to defend 60 points from now through the US Open, whereas Sinner has to defend 3200.
This means, should results go his way, the five-time Grand Slam champion could become the world number one once again before the end of the year.
The points each of the ATP Top 10 will have to defend during the hard-court swing
Up until the conclusion of the US Open, stars in the top 10 will be looking to defend points they earned last year.
Taylor Fritz, last season’s runner-up in Flushing Meadows, will have 1360 points to fight for, while Alexander Zverev, who sits one place above him in the rankings, has to protect a total of 1280.
24-time major champion Novak Djokovic could see his ranking improve again, following his third-round exit at the US Open last year.
Home hope Ben Shelton could also bump up a few places, as the American has just 540 points to defend.
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