Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two dominant forces on the ATP Tour in 2025.
Sinner has just won the Wimbledon title, beating Alcaraz in the final to confirm that they have now shared the last seven consecutive Grand Slam titles.
The last man not called Sinner or Alcaraz to win a Grand Slam singles title was Novak Djokovic, who won the 2023 US Open.
However, with Djokovic now moving closer to retirement, another ATP player has made his claim as a potential contender to the dominant duo of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesHolger Rune believes he is not that far away from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
That player is world number nine Holger Rune, who lost in the first round of Wimbledon this year.
Since then, Rune has been spotted working with Andre Agassi ahead of his return to the matchcourt at the Washington Open.
When speaking to Tennis.com ahead of the ATP 500 tournament, Rune was asked how far he thinks he is away from the level of Sinner and Alcaraz.
While claiming that some players were still very far away, Rune suggested that his top level is actually not that distant from Sinner and Alcaraz, highlighting how consistent they are as the big difference.
“I think [the gap] is very distant for some, but for some others, they’re not that far away,” said Rune. “I’m going to include myself when I say we’re not that far away.
“I see my high end of tennis to be really, really high, so I just have to lift the button, really, and stay more consistent to win more matches. I do need to stop feeling like I need to play spectacular tennis all the time to beat them.”
As Rune continued to show confidence in his own ability, the Dane admitted that he was not satisfied just being a top 10 player and instead wanted to reach the summit of the ATP rankings.
“It all comes down to what you want. If you’re happy to stick around and be No. 5, 10, 15, or 20 in the world, some players can do that without doing more,” explained the 22-year-old.
“That’s not really my goal. My goal was always to be No. 1; it still is, and I believe I can do it. I also believe there’s a few things I need to do differently. That’s one of the reasons why I reached out to Andre, to hear his point of view.
“It obviously does help my confidence to know I’ve shown a level that can beat Carlos, Jannik, and Novak. That helps the belief, of course. On the other hand, there’s a difference between just beating them and making it into those big finals week in, week out. That’s one of my goals now.”
Holger Rune vs Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz
Rune was once seen as Sinner and Alcaraz’s biggest contender, with suggestions of a new ‘big three’ being thrown around.
However, he has been unable to get anywhere near his rivals so far, having won a quarter of their number of titles.
Rune did beat Alcaraz earlier this year to win the Barcelona Open, but his Spanish opponent was physically hampered in that match.
Holger RuneJannik SinnerCarlos AlcarazCareer-high rankingNo.4No.1*No.1Number of titles52021Best Grand Slam resultQuarterfinals (Roland Garros 2022 & 2023, Wimbledon 2023)Won the title (Australian Open 2024 & 2025, Wimbledon 2025, US Open 2024)Won the title (Roland Garros 2024 & 2025, Wimbledon 2023 & 2024, US Open 2022)
Backing up Rune’s previous claim, his biggest career success to date came when he won the Paris Masters title as a teenager in 2022, showing that his top level is very high.
Rune will be hoping to justify his claim once again at the Washington Open, where he is the third seed.