The five players who caused Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz the most problems at Grand Slams this year

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed truly dominant Grand Slam seasons in 2025.

For the second year in a row, the world number one and two shared the four majors between themselves, highlighting the gap between them and the rest of the ATP Tour.

Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, while Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open.

Against other players, Sinner and Alcaraz lost one Grand Slam match in 2025… combined. A remarkable statistic.

That’s not to say they weren’t challenged throughout the year, however, as five players in particular caused them some real problems at the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Five players who caused Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz problems at Grand Slams in 2025

Novak Djokovic

The Serbian star was the only player to beat either Sinner or Alcaraz at a Grand Slam in 2025.

Taking on the Spaniard in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Djokovic produced a legendary performance on his favorite court, Rod Laver Arena.

After dropping the first set 4-6, Djokovic took his game to another level, pushing his younger rival to the limit.

Securing the win in four sets, the veteran advanced to the semis in Melbourne for the 12th time in his career.

Djokovic did, however, struggle against the pair at the remaining Grand Slams of the year, losing to Sinner in the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, and to Alcaraz in the last four of the US Open.

Holger Rune

Almost invincible at Grand Slams this year, very few players were able to take even a single set off Sinner.

One player who did was Denmark’s Holger Rune, who had the Italian in a spot of bother during their fourth-round match at the Australian Open.

Struggling in the Australian sun, Sinner was seen shaking during a changeover, while level with Rune at one set apiece.

After taking a medical time out, Sinner began to recover, picking up the win in four sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Lorenzo Musetti

When Lorenzo Musetti set foot on Court Philippe Chatrier for his semifinal match with Alcaraz at Roland Garros, few gave him a chance to win.

Not prepared to let the opportunity slip through his fingers, Musetti stunned the Parisian crowd by winning the first set 6-4.

Maintaining his incredible level for much of the second, Musetti pushed Alcaraz to a tiebreaker, looking to establish a two-set lead.

Failing to do so, Alcaraz won the tiebreaker 7-6 and didn’t drop a game for the remainder of the match.

Musetti started to struggle physically and retired trailing 0-2 in the fourth set.

Grigor Dimitrov

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov came close to pulling off one of the great Grand Slam upsets at Wimbledon earlier this year.

Playing some of the best tennis of his career, Dimitrov stormed into a two-set lead against the number one seed, Sinner.

Unfortunately, in the fourth game of the third set, disaster struck, as Dimitrov injured his pectoral muscle, forcing him to withdraw from the match.

In an important reminder of how quickly things can change in tennis, Sinner received a walkover into the quarterfinals and proceeded to win the tournament.

Dimitrov, on the other hand, hasn’t been seen on tour since, as he continues the long road to recovery.

Taylor Fritz

After a fantastic end to his 2024 campaign, many predicted big things for Taylor Fritz in 2025, although it took him some time to get going.

Finding his form on the grass, Fritz won two warm-up tournaments (Stuttgart and Eastbourne), providing him with the confidence he needed to make a deep run at Wimbledon.

Winning two five-setters in his opening two matches, Fritz soon picked up the pace, advancing to the semifinals, where he took on the 2023 and 2024 champion, Alcaraz.

In a thrilling semifinal clash, Fritz pushed Alcaraz close, winning the second set 7-5, to level the tie.

After dropping the third, the American bounced back in the fourth, forcing a tiebreaker.

Against anyone else on the planet, Fritz would have taken the match to a deciding fifth set, but Alcaraz was simply too good, playing some otherworldly tennis to win the tiebreaker 8-6.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 Grand Slam record

Sinner and Alcaraz were brilliant against the field at the 2025 Grand Slams, dropping just a handful of games and sets.

Alcaraz and Sinner dropped a combined 16 sets across the four tournaments, losing just one match.

Only time will tell if they can keep it up in 2026, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the Australian Open begins on Monday, January 12.