MIRACLE RIVALRY: WHY RICHARD KRAJICEK SAYS CARLOS ALCARAZ AND JANNIK SINNER SAVED MEN’S TENNIS
Richard Krajicek calls the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry a miracle! Read how the "New Two" have won 9 straight Slams and what's next in 2026.
Richard Krajicek, who won Wimbledon back in the day and now runs the Rotterdam Open, can’t get enough of the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. He calls it “unbelievable”, and honestly, he’s got a point.
Right now, Alcaraz and Sinner sit at the top of the ATP rankings at No. 1 and No. 2. They’ve completely taken over men’s tennis. Between them, they’ve claimed the last nine Grand Slam singles titles. Alcaraz just picked up another at the Australian Open, and both he and Sinner have bagged two majors each in both 2024 and 2025. Nobody’s surprised that everyone expects them to dominate the rest of the big tournaments in 2026.
Last season, these two were everywhere. They faced off in the finals at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. That’s never happened before in the Open Era: two guys meeting in three Grand Slam finals in one year. It’s wild.
This kind of dominance comes right after the Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic era. People thought things would open up once those legends stepped aside, maybe seeing a bunch of new faces winning Slams. Turns out, that didn’t happen. Alcaraz and Sinner pretty much shut the door on everyone else.
Krajicek himself wasn’t sure what men’s tennis would look like after the Big Three. He admits he worried about what was next. But then these two showed up and flipped the script.
He told Bolavip, “Alcaraz and Sinner are both unbelievable players, and they have an unbelievable rivalry. I certainly didn’t expect this to happen to tennis after Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. It is like a miracle.
“Of course, we still have Djokovic left. I want to say this is his last year, but with him, you never know; probably, he has three years left in him. But I was starting to think about what tennis is going to look like, even being a bit worried, and then these two guys arrived on the stage.
“Of course, they are very different. Alcaraz is very outgoing and has a lot of variety, whereas Sinner is more introverted and disciplined.
“Both of them are so popular and are playing amazing tennis, so I never expected this to happen so quickly after the Big Three.”
Krajicek had a front-row seat, too. As tournament director in Rotterdam, he’s gotten to know both players. Sinner won the tournament in 2024, beating Alex de Minaur. Alcaraz took the title in 2025, also against de Minaur.
Alcaraz was supposed to defend his Rotterdam title this week, but after his win at the Australian Open, he decided to skip it. Both he and Sinner are gearing up to play in Qatar next week. So, the show’s far from over.
TOP SEEDS TAYLOR FRITZ AND BEN SHELTON SECURE DREAM DALLAS OPEN FINAL
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton reach the 2026 Dallas Open final! Read the match reports, ace counts, and head-to-head stats here.
Top seed Taylor Fritz took down Marin Cilic in straight sets, while No. 2 Ben Shelton fought back to beat defending champ Denis Shapovalov on Saturday night. Now, the Dallas Open final is set; it's the top two Americans in the world, going head to head.
Fritz hammered 22 aces in his 7-6(5), 7-6(3) win over Cilic. Shelton, on the other hand, had to dig deep. Down three break points early in the second set, he ripped a crosscourt forehand that turned the match around and eventually pulled off a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory.
At 28, Fritz sits at No. 7 in the world, two spots ahead of Shelton. Shelton just made a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open before Jannik Sinner stopped him in straight sets.
Fritz owns 10 ATP titles. Shelton’s picked up three so far. The two split their first two matches, so there’s real history going into Sunday’s final.
“Is this the final you guys wanted?” Shelton asked, grinning at the crowd inside the football stadium that doubles as the Dallas Cowboys’ practice field. Fans roared their approval. “I’m super excited for that matchup.”
Shelton’s been living on the edge this week. For the second match in a row, he came back from a set down; he did the same thing against Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarters.
At 23, Shelton found himself down a set and facing triple break point at 1-1 in the second. That crosscourt winner flipped the momentum. Later, he earned two set points on Shapovalov’s serve and cashed in the second to force a third.
He finished strong, taking three of the last four points in the final tiebreaker, closing it out with another blistering forehand.
Fritz wasn’t exactly cruising either. He needed three set points to take the first tiebreak and three more match points to seal the win in the second. Cilic, unseeded but dangerous, made him work for it.
Fritz ended the first set with three straight aces after Cilic saved two set points. In the second tiebreaker, Cilic’s eighth double fault handed Fritz an early edge. On the first match point, Cilic’s return sailed long, and that was it.
Cilic, now 37, used his big serve to get out of trouble all night, cranking out 38 aces. He was looking for his 600th career singles win but fell short. He saved all five break points he faced, but Fritz didn’t give up a single one in their fourth meeting, his third win against Cilic.
ATHENS RESIDENCY: NOVAK DJOKOVIC OFFICIALLY SECURES GREEK GOLDEN VISA FOR HIS FAMILY
Novak Djokovic has officially moved to Greece: Discover the details of his Golden Visa residency and the political row in Serbia.
Novak Djokovic seems pretty settled on moving his family to Greece. Last year, he packed up and left Belgrade for Athens with Jelena and their kids, Stefan and Tara. The kids are already in school, and honestly, it sounds like they’re fitting right in.
He’s clearly enjoying himself. Djokovic picked up his 101st career title in Athens last year, joined a local tennis club, and hasn’t missed a beat. At first, the move was just a trial run. Back in October, he told CNN Greece, “We are, as a family, trying to see how life goes here, the experience. It’s been less than two months. So we will see how it goes, but so far, as I said, it’s been a very positive experience.” But the trial period is over. After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, Djokovic went right back to Athens.
Now, at 38, he’s putting down even deeper roots. He recently met with Thanos Plevris, Greece’s Minister for Migration and Asylum. Plevris posted a photo of their meeting, writing, “It is an honour for us that he wishes to stay with his family in our country.”
Honestly, it’s no shock that Djokovic wants to stay. After his title run in Athens in 2025, he said the city already felt like home. When someone asked what it was like to lift the trophy, he just grinned and said, “Like at home. I love it! I want to thank everybody for coming out today and all week, supporting all the players and me. It's been amazing for everyone.”
There’s another side to this move. Djokovic left Serbia during a tense moment. After a tragic railway station collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people at the end of 2024, protests erupted against President Aleksandar Vucic. Djokovic publicly supported the students leading the protests, posting, “As someone who deeply believes in the power of youth and their desire for a better future, I believe it's important that their voices are heard. Serbia has enormous potential, and its educated youth is its greatest strength. What we all need is understanding and respect. With you, Novak.” He even dedicated a win at the 2025 Australian Open to a student injured during a protest and showed up at a Serbian basketball game wearing a hat that said, “Students are Champions.”
He’s never openly criticised Vucic, but before the move, word got out that Djokovic was looking into Greece’s Golden Visa program, which offers residency to non-EU citizens who invest in the country. Now, after his latest run at the Australian Open, it really looks like Djokovic and his family are staying put in Greece.