For the second year in a row, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner split all four major titles between them.
The ‘new two’ have truly been head and shoulders above everyone else on the biggest stages this season, with Sinner winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while Alcaraz clinched titles at Roland Garros and the US Open.
They contested each other in three of the four championship matches at majors in 2025 and produced a remarkable display of tennis each time, most notably at the French Open.
Both Sinner and Alcaraz recorded dominant runs at Grand Slams, dropping no more than two sets en route to titles in Melbourne and New York, respectively.
It has not all been plain sailing for them at times, however, and three players in particular have caused them real trouble.
1. Fabio Fognini
In what was perhaps one of the most unexpected results this year, Fabio Fognini was a set away from handing Alcaraz a first-round exit at Wimbledon in the summer.
The recently retired Italian met Alcaraz in the opening round at the All England Club, and it looked to be a comfortable matchup for the defending champion.
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Though he was tested in the first set, Alcaraz managed to claim the opener 7-5, but Fognini quickly replied by taking the second in a tiebreak.
The two split sets once again before Alcaraz took the decider 6-1 to avoid the upset and advance past the veteran.
Alcaraz’s near miss marked another example of his tendency to suffer a dip in concentration in big matches, a weakness he has since worked on.
2. Grigor Dimitrov
Had it not been for an absolutely gut-wrenching turn of events, Sinner very well may have exited the Wimbledon championships in the fourth round.
The eventual champion took on Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 after sweeping aside his first three opponents in SW19.
Despite his hot form heading into the bout, however, Sinner found himself two sets down against Dimitrov on Centre Court.
The Bulgarian was six games away from knocking out the then world number one after leading the contest 6-3, 7-5.
However, when serving at 2-2 in the third set, Dimitrov injured his pectoral muscle and was ultimately forced to retire from the match.
3. Novak Djokovic
Though he did not manage to make it past the semifinals at any Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic was ultimately the only player who beat either Sinner or Alcaraz at a major this year.
The Serb had arguably his best campaign this year at the Australian Open, where he reached the final four after beating Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
With longtime rival Andy Murray in his corner as coach, Djokovic came back from a set down to earn a second consecutive victory over the young star, following his triumph in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite overcoming one of the heavy favourites in Melbourne, Djokovic picked up an injury in his semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev, which saw him pull out of the tournament.
In beating Alcaraz, Djokovic proved he is still capable of competing with the new era in the twighlight of his career.
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