THE "NEW 2" TRICK: WHAT CARLOS ALCARAZ AND JANNIK SINNER PICKED UP FROM STUDYING FEDERER’S LATE CAREER
Jim Courier claims Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could go head-to-head with the Big 4. Read the full tactical analysis here.
Jim Courier doesn’t see any real flaws in Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. In fact, he’s convinced these two could have gone toe-to-toe with the legendary ‘Big 4’.
Right now, Alcaraz is the world No. 1, Sinner sits just behind him at No. 2, and they’ve basically taken over men’s tennis. Nobody else is even close in the ATP Rankings.
Between them, they’ve snagged the last nine Grand Slam singles trophies. If they win just two more, they’ll match Federer and Nadal’s record of 11 straight majors as a duo.
Alcaraz already has seven Grand Slam singles titles and has racked up 58 weeks (and counting) as world No. 1. He just completed the Career Grand Slam after his win at the Australian Open.
Sinner spent 66 weeks at the top himself and owns four Grand Slam titles. He’s got a shot to complete his own career Grand Slam at the French Open this spring.
These two have jumped straight into the spotlight after the era of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray—the ‘Big 4’ who once ruled the sport.
On the Tennis Insider Club podcast, Courier called Sinner and Alcaraz the ‘New 2’ and said they’d absolutely have been able to challenge those legends.
“Look at the last year and a half—they’ve won everything,” Courier said. “They can handle any surface, they’re both young, and they move like nobody else.”
He added, “Honestly, I think they would’ve gone head-to-head with the Big Four. They probably studied those guys and picked up all their tricks. Jannik’s game and movement remind me a lot of Novak. Carlos? He’s just unique. He’s taken the best bits from everyone.”
Right now, Alcaraz and Sinner are way ahead of the rest of the ATP field. Even 38-year-old Djokovic is probably the only one who looks like he could give them trouble.
People keep asking when someone else from their generation will finally catch up. Names like Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, and Joao Fonseca get thrown around as future contenders, but honestly, nobody’s really come close. The gap’s only getting wider.
Courier went on to say that what sets Sinner and Alcaraz apart is their total lack of weaknesses.
“There was a time when top players had holes in their games. Not anymore. Sinner and Alcaraz? No weak spots,” he said.
“That changes everything. Technique matters more than ever. The game’s so fast now, you have to attack from everywhere. That’s pretty new.
“Even Rafa eventually erased his weaknesses. Roger switched rackets late in his career, and suddenly his backhand turned into a weapon—especially against Rafa.
“In my day, even Pete Sampras had a safe side to attack—his backhand. But with these guys, there’s nowhere to hide. You’re never comfortable.”
After their runs at the Australian Open, both Alcaraz and Sinner are set to play again at the Qatar Open next week.
WHY COCO GAUFF STILL BATTLES "IMPOSTOR SYNDROME" DESPITE ELEVEN WTA CAREER TITLES
Coco Gauff opens up about her serve struggles and mental hurdles after a gritty quarter-final win over Bencic.
Coco Gauff opened up about feeling “impostor syndrome” and wondering if she really deserves her spot among the best on the WTA Tour.
After beating Belinda Bencic (ranked 12th) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open quarter-finals on Tuesday, she talked honestly about those doubts. Gauff has fought through each Miami match in three sets, taking down Sorana Cirstea, Alycia Parks, and Elisabetta Cocciaretto before facing Bencic.
Her team actually didn’t want her to play the tournament in Florida since a “nerve-related” arm injury cut her run short at Indian Wells, but she pushed forward anyway. She’s still working through issues with her serve and sometimes her forehand, and since August, she’s been teaming up with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.
Even with these technical struggles, Gauff – who just turned 22 this month – already has an impressive resume. She’s snagged 11 singles titles on the WTA Tour, including two Grand Slams, the WTA Finals, and three WTA 1000 trophies. She’s also climbed as high as No. 2 in the world rankings.
After her win against Bencic, reporters asked what it meant for her to get through four tough matches, especially after coming back from injury. Gauff said, “Honestly, it just shows my mentality. It all comes down to what’s in your head, really.”
She added, “Sometimes I have to remind myself that I belong here. I get impostor syndrome, and when they announce my achievements during warm-up, I almost feel detached, like, ‘Wait, I actually have a good career.’ But in the moment, you’re so focused on working stuff out, especially my serve, that it just feels... I don’t know, like maybe I shouldn’t be here. But tennis doesn’t lie; the ball doesn’t lie. I just have to trust myself, and my coach keeps telling me, ‘Remember who you are; you’re a good player.’ They’ve drilled that in. Sometimes I believe it, sometimes I don’t. So I’m just trying to believe it more.”
Gauff is chasing her first Miami Open title, and next up is world No. 14 Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals.
THE NADAL SHIELD: RAFA’S BLUNT MESSAGE TO FANS: "STOP EXPECTING CARLOS ALCARAZ TO WIN EVERY MATCH"
Carlos Alcaraz faces criticism after a Miami Open exit, but Rafael Nadal defends the World No. 1 and his 7 Slams.
Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his 2026 season in style. He finally completed the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, then rolled through Doha to pick up another trophy. No one could touch him for his first 16 matches of the year. That streak finally snapped in the Indian Wells semi-finals when Daniil Medvedev took him down.
After that, things got a little rocky. Alcaraz, still holding onto the world No. 1 ranking, got knocked out early in Miami. He won just one match there before Sebastian Korda sent him packing. It was déjà vu; last year, he lost his very first match at the Hard Rock Stadium to David Goffin.
So after that hot streak, Alcaraz has dropped two of his last three matches. The Miami loss to Korda stung, especially after Alcaraz clawed back in the second set to force a decider. But Korda, ranked 36th in the world, kept his cool and closed it out in three sets: 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Alcaraz never really looked settled and kept chatting nervously with his team the whole time.
Still, don’t expect Rafael Nadal to hit the panic button. The Spanish legend, 22-time Grand Slam champ, now retired, shrugged off concerns about Alcaraz’s Miami slip-up. Asked point-blank about the third-round exit, Nadal didn’t mince words.
“He just won the Australian Open, has seven Slams, is No. 1 in the world... So what? Do we expect him to win every single match all year? That’s not how it works. There’s your answer,” Nadal told reporters after picking up an honorary doctorate in Madrid.
Nadal knows that world No. 1 pressure better than anyone. And at 39, he’s urging everyone to ease up.
“Are we really bothered by two losses? That makes no sense. We can’t keep asking more and more from him,” Nadal said. “We should just congratulate Carlos and thank him for what he’s doing.”
He went on: “He’s pulling off things for Spanish sport that, 25 or 30 years back, none of us could have dreamed of. Maybe we’re getting spoiled, but I’ve never lost sight of how hard what Carlos and any top athlete do really is.”
Alcaraz’s early exit did open the door for another Spanish story in Miami. Martin Landaluce, ranked 151 and a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate, qualified for his first ATP quarter-final. He upset two top-20 seeds, Luciano Darderi and Karen Khachanov, then took out Korda, the same guy who’d toppled Alcaraz.
Landaluce credits Nadal and the academy for his breakthrough. “I’ve been training at Rafa’s place since I was 14. I definitely picked up some of his mentality, that Spanish fighting spirit, most of all. Watching him, hitting with him, getting advice, and just seeing how hard he trains day after day has really left a mark on me,” he said.
