Former world No 2 Alex Corretja has identified the players who he thinks are capable of hurting Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner heading into the 2026 season.
Alcaraz and Sinner have established a duopoly at the top of men’s tennis, having each won four of the last eight Grand Slam titles since the start of 2024.
The last player other than Alcaraz or Sinner to win a men’s singles major was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open.
There is a staggering gap after world No 1 Alcaraz on 12,050 points and world No 2 Sinner on 11,500 points to third-ranked Alexander Zverev on 5,160 points.
In an interview with Eurosport Spain, Corretja highlighted Jack Draper, Ben Shelton and Joao Fonseca as three young ATP stars with the ability to threaten Alcaraz and Sinner.
“There is no doubt that it will also be positive for players to emerge who can hurt them,” said the two-time French Open runner-up.
“Like who? We’ll see how Jack Draper has recovered, as he hasn’t competed for a long time and I think that, when he’s fit, he’ll be one of the most difficult players to beat. We’ll see if Ben Shelton gradually finds his tennis level and also his stability.
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“What will happen with [Joao] Fonseca? I hope it will be a good year for the Brazilian, because he has a lot of potential and a lot of tennis, and he is someone who, if he is physically and mentally prepared, could start to shine in the big tournaments and perhaps be ready to compete with the best.
“From there, we will see how the circuit continues to develop, because I am convinced that other players will also emerge.
“Maybe [Lorenzo] Musetti can have a great year; we will see if [Alexander] Zverev stays at the top and if [Daniil] Medvedev, or some of the others, recover and make headlines again.”
Corretja added: “Sinner and Alcaraz play at a very high level, at tremendous speed and, above all, with an intensity that is very difficult to keep up with.
“That is why I think it is a very good rivalry for tennis, which makes it very interesting.”
Corretja played from 1991 to 2005 and claimed 17 ATP singles titles.
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