{"id":84176,"date":"2025-08-22T04:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T04:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/84176\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T04:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T04:15:07","slug":"jannik-sinner-or-carlos-alcaraz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/84176\/","title":{"rendered":"Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 movie Sinners is a masterful bit of filmmaking, all pyrotechnics and risk, a mix of genres and shape-shifting. And there\u2019s lots of blood, \u201csanguineous fountains,\u201d per The New York Times<\/a>. See it if you have not.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 2025 tennis serial, Sinner, is something else entirely. In this story, the world\u2019s best player performs his duties with sheer bloodlessness. He takes few unnecessary risks. He does not play for the cameras. He wins with power and precision, but most of all, with ruthless efficiency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet, there is worthy entertainment in Sinner. Jannik Sinner is a generational tennis talent. Coupled with his rival Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, they are quickly drawing rave reviews, box office numbers and causing a certain amnesia for the Rodger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic franchise that preceded it.<\/p>\n

Will they play in the final scene of the fifth consecutive event they have both entered? Stay tuned. But first, our men\u2019s seed report \u2026<\/p>\n

1. Jannik Sinner<\/p>\n

Despite his retirement in Cincinnati<\/a>\u2014not a great omen, given August heat and humidity in New York and a best-of-five format\u2014he remains the favorite. He is the winner of the previous major<\/a> and the winner of four majors since the start of 2024. It\u2019s fun to be a contrarian, but hard, in good faith, to pick anyone else.<\/p>\n

2. Carlos Alcaraz<\/p>\n

Alcaraz is the 2022 U.S. Open champion<\/a>\u2014could that really have been three years ago?\u2014and the Cincinnati winner, if by walkover in the final. His talent is undeniable, and so is his entertainment value. But he also has a real appetite for competition in battle that isn\u2019t always rightfully recognized. If we discount Cincinnati, this is still an opportunity to claim some revenge against Sinner and win a turf war, beating him (again) on a hard court. A first-rounder against Opelka will be fun.<\/p>\n

Sinner vs. Alcaraz at majors<\/p>\n

Major match<\/p>\n

Winner<\/p>\n

2025 Wimbledon final<\/p>\n

Sinner<\/p>\n

2025 Roland Garros final<\/p>\n

Alcaraz<\/p>\n

2024 Roland Garros semifinal<\/p>\n

Alcaraz<\/p>\n

2022 U.S. Open quarterfinal<\/p>\n

Alcaraz<\/p>\n

2022 Wimbledon Round of 16<\/p>\n

Sinner<\/p>\n

3. Alexander Zverev<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a hard-to-shake feeling that the window is closing fast on that elusive major for Zverev. It\u2019s encouraging that he played well in Cincinnati, even if he\u2019s a bit dinged up. It\u2019s encouraging that he\u2019s been working\u2014at least, informally\u2014with the Nadal camp, which has reinforced the message that he needs to be less passive. But will he take that to heart, especially in challenging times? (And how will he handle heat and humidity?)<\/p>\n

4. Taylor Fritz<\/p>\n

It was a disappointing North American hard court summer, but Fritz, a U.S. Open finalist in 2024<\/a>, has aged into the kind of player who does everything in his power to win<\/a> and excels over five sets. The overarching question now: Can he crack the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly, against which he is a combined 1\u20137?<\/p>\n

5. Jack Draper<\/p>\n

The good news is that he is in the draw. In more good news, he has a big-time deal with Vuori. The less good news is that he has not played since Wimbledon. Not only was he a semifinalist in New York last year, but he won on the gritty Indian Wells courts in March; he\u2019s had success on American hard courts. However, concerns about residual injuries and a lack of matches coming into the U.S. Open are far from ideal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Ben Shelton<\/p>\n

First, look at that skinny ranking. Shelton was crowned champion in Canada (at the expense of his play in Cincinnati), and his evolution continues. In a matter of a few years (warning: baseball metaphor ahead), he has gone from live-armed Nuke LaLoosh to a Clayton Kershaw, who marries power with generalship. He falls in the cluster of contenders after Alcaraz and Sinner.<\/p>\n

7. Novak Djokovic<\/p>\n

His previous event? Wimbledon. The one before that? Roland Garros. To borrow from the film, This Is (nearly) 40, at this age and stage, Djokovic is\u2014pretty much exclusively\u2014playing in service of his 25th major. There is little objective source for optimism, except for the fact that he is Novak Djokovic<\/a>. Interesting first-rounder against Learner Tien.<\/p>\n

8. Alex de Minaur<\/p>\n

As always, he\u2019s a thoroughly admirable pro\u2019s pro who wrings it all out of his game. And he\u2019s a candidate for the fastest man in the sport, which helps on grass. His win in D.C. augurs success. However, de Minaur\u2019s modest weaponry means that, while he must be beaten, against better players, he often is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

9. Karen Khachanov<\/p>\n

The Toronto finalist\u2014who once reached the U.S. Open semifinals and nearly beat Nadal in New York\u2014is a total pro. He\u2019s unlikely to win the title, but also unlikely to lose to anyone ranked beneath him. (And the gracious speech below deserves another reference.)<\/p>\n

10. Lorenzo Musetti<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a stylish Italian, and his one-handed zing is a joy to watch. His game has really slipped since his (quite successful) clay court jag. He lost early in Canada (Alex Michelsen) and Cincinnati (Benjamin Bonzi) though he did, improbably, make the doubles final.<\/p>\n

11. Holger Rune<\/p>\n

If only Rune competed against opponents as fiercely and devotedly as he does against online trolls. We\u2019ll pencil him into Week 2. The Dane spent some quality time with Andre Agassi in July, and he played better in his next event, but he\u2019s still prone to packing it in when he\u2019s not at his best. He has a lot of talent, and doesn\u2019t turn 23 until April, but there is too much instability in Rune\u2019s game for him to be considered a real contender.<\/p>\n

12. Casper Ruud<\/p>\n

Already a runner-up at this event (excellent mixed doubles run). Ruud is a former finalist (2022) but\u2014especially off clay\u2014hasn\u2019t had a great go of it in 2025. He\u2019s an admirable player and an outstanding tennis citizen, but you wonder if he hasn\u2019t already hit his ceiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

13. Daniil Medvedev<\/p>\n

Disappointment seems to be a constant companion for Medvedev, ready to ambush at any point, under any set of circumstances. He is such an asset to the tennis community\u2014funny, unpredictable, emotionally accessible, sui generis\u2014but, sadly, his game is an asset in decline. Four years ago, he won this major. Currently, he\u2019s gone more than two years without a title of any kind.<\/p>\n

14. Tommy Paul<\/p>\n

One need not worry about his heart. Paul\u2019s health, though, is another matter. It\u2019s been a frustrating few months, starting with an abdominal injury that hampered his (nonetheless successful) Roland Garros and Wimbledon campaign that had him wearing a boot on his foot. Like Draper, the lack of match play coming into New York is a cause for concern.<\/p>\n

15. Andrey Rublev<\/p>\n

Still in search of his first major semifinal, Rublev reached the quarterfinals four times at the U.S. Open, starting in (gulp) 2017. He\u2019s too good a player not to be in the top 10,\u00a0 but too erratic to be considered a serious contender.<\/p>\n

16. Jakub Men\u0161\u00edk<\/p>\n

The Miami winner has proven himself on U.S. hard courts this year, but he\u2019s cooled off since. The weather, however, has not, and Men\u0161\u00edk seems to struggle with extreme heat and humidity (as was the case in Cincinnati).<\/p>\n

\"Frances<\/p>\n

Frances Tiafoe plans his year around peaking at the U.S. Open. \/ Aaron Doster-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

17. Frances Tiafoe<\/p>\n

It\u2019s his time to shine. Tiafoe speaks openly about how he plans his year to peak at the U.S. Open. His 2025 has been on-brand<\/a>, with some dazzling wins pocked by some strange losses\u2014and zero titles. His track record at this major speaks to his ability to elevate in New York. (While we are here, note Tiafoe surprising a University of Louisville student with a $30,000 scholarship<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

18. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina<\/p>\n

He is the best player never to have won a title, but came close in D.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n

19. Francisco Cer\u00fandolo<\/p>\n

An injury he sustained in Toronto is cause for concern. There is much to love about his forehand, but not when every shot brings pain.<\/p>\n

20. Ji\u0159\u00ed Lehe\u010dka<\/p>\n

He is an up-and-down player, but the faster the court, the more dangerous Lehe\u010dka is.<\/p>\n

23. Alexander Bublik<\/p>\n

A strong showing at the U.S. Open\u2014after his Wimbledon flameout\u2014would be consistent with the rhythms of Bublik\u2019s inconsistent career.<\/p>\n

24. Flavio Cobolli<\/p>\n

Can he go deep in successive majors?<\/p>\n

27. Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/p>\n

Tsitsipas has reached major finals (including one on hard court) but is now a stock in decline. If you\u2019re in New York, go cheer him on; he could use the support.<\/p>\n

31. Gabriel Diallo<\/p>\n

The steady climb continues for the former Kentucky player.<\/p>\n

Seb Korda: Often injured eventually the talent will come forth?<\/p>\n

Jo\u00e3o Fonseca: There\u2019s a wedge in the wheel of his hype train, but he has too much power and potential not to be taken seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Benjamin Bonzi: He beat Musetti and Tsitsipas in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

Ga\u00ebl Monfils: Enjoy him and hope this isn\u2019t \u201cfinis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marin \u010cili\u0107: All former champions merit mention.<\/p>\n

Darwin Blanch: The American teenager has been winning in bunches lately.<\/p>\n

Courentin Moutet: Pesky opponent who runs hot\u2026and cold.<\/p>\n

Bonzi d. Medvedev beckons but we\u2019ll say Muller d. Tsitsipas.<\/p>\n

Doubles Winner: Paging Robert Cash<\/a> and Lloyd Glasspool. They lost in Cincinnati, but have been the best in the business these past few months.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz d. Fritz
Sinner d. Zverev<\/p>\n

Sinner d. Alcaraz<\/p>\n

More Tennis on Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 movie Sinners is a masterful bit of filmmaking, all pyrotechnics and risk, a mix of genres…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[101,118,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-84176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-sports","9":"tag-tennis","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}