In 2025, for the first time in contemporary tennis history, the same two men faced off in three major tennis tournament finals within the same calendar year. This was by no means a chance occurrence. These two athletes, of Spain, 22, and 24, of Italy, are undeniably the top two players on the globe, and are poised to maintain that distinction for years ahead, provided they remain in good health. They are youthful and determined, having already secured every major tournament over the past two seasons. Alcaraz triumphed in their initial encounter, at the French Open in Paris, and his come-from-behind, five-set, five-hour-plus thriller is still considered the . Sinner responded by defeating Alcaraz with a clinical four-set victory at Wimbledon.
As for the concluding chapter of this year’s inaugural Alcaraz-Sinner trilogy: advantage, Carlos.
Under the watchful eye of President Donald Trump and a host of other distinguished guests (including Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Lindsay Lohan, Kevin Hart, and Ben Stiller), Alcaraz outlasted Sinner with scores of 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in a magnificent display that showcased his full brilliance. He reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking, and this U.S. Open triumph, his , already marks his sixth career Grand Slam championship. It bears repeating: he is 22 years old.
“I’m seeing you more than my family,” Alcaraz remarked to Sinner on the court following the match.
Adorned in a sleeveless pink shirt highlighting his NFL-caliber musculature, with the hair he famously before the tournament growing back in quite well, Alcaraz kept his red-haired opponent, who was clad in University of Texas burnt orange, scurrying across the court during rallies. Twice in the first set—which commenced with Arthur Ashe Stadium approximately half full, as throngs of spectators waited in line to pass through the security checkpoints established due to Trump’s presence in his home borough of Queens—Sinner slipped, unable to change direction as swiftly as Alcaraz’s shots demanded.
Alcaraz broke Sinner’s serve in a hard-fought, eight-minute opening game; Sinner committed a couple of surprising unforced errors, a poor omen for him. Alcaraz, in effect, never relinquished his lead. He finished the match with 10 aces, to Sinner’s two. He recorded twice as many winners as Sinner, 42 to 21. Alcaraz did not commit a single double-fault throughout the entire match.
While Sinner mounted a response in the second set, marked by a backhand smash that concluded a 19-shot rally and briefly energized the crowd, Alcaraz swiftly blunted Sinner’s momentum in the third. After hitting a winner to establish a 3-0 lead, he cupped his hand to his ear, soliciting more noise. The fans readily complied.
(Trump, who received what could charitably be described as a lukewarm reception from the crowd when his image was displayed on the jumbotron—he offered a stiff smile as boos largely interspersed some cheering—departed his seat, located in the Rolex box opposite the chair umpire, after Alcaraz took the 3-0 third-set lead. However, it turned out he was not returning to the White House. He reappeared in the fourth.)
Early in the fourth set, Sinner rushed forward to reach an Alcaraz drop shot: he got to it, with ample time, and had an open court for a winner. But with Alcaraz also positioned at the net—ready as always to further frustrate Sinner—Sinner pushed it wider than he needed to, conceding the point to Alcaraz instead. Alcaraz broke Sinner’s serve that game, and with Alcaraz serving for the match leading 5-4, Sinner again made a backhand error on an Alcaraz drop shot that gifted Alcaraz match point. Thanks to a blistering return of an Alcaraz second serve, Sinner created some suspense by leveling the game at 40-all. Two points later, however, on Alcaraz’s third championship point, Sinner’s racket barely contacted a 131-m.p.h. Alcaraz serve that brought the contest to a close.
Alcaraz spread his arms wide, smiled towards his team’s box, and then rested his head on Sinner’s shoulder at the net as the pair exchanged pleasantries.
At the most recent significant sporting event held in the United States that the President attended, the FIFA Club World Cup in July, Trump lingered excessively at the trophy ceremony, . This time, he remained in his box as Alcaraz and Sinner were recognized on the court following the match. Neither player acknowledged the President in their speeches.
Tennis enthusiasts are remarkably fortunate. and retired, and almost immediately, Alcaraz and Sinner emerged to advance the sport. There was barely a post-Federer/Nadal void. Alcaraz and Sinner divided the 2025 major titles, each securing two victories. And Sinner had an outstanding year. He is one of only four men’s players to have reached the finals of all four major tournaments in the same season: Rod Laver during his 1969 Grand Slam season, Federer (2006, 2007, 2009), Novak Djokovic (2015, 2021, and 2023), and now Sinner in 2025.
The final and most important word, however, belongs to Alcaraz.
