Men’s tennis has now fully changed. In three of the Grand Slam events this year, there was a first-time winner. Yet, only two players took all four majors.

We might need to get used to that. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are in their early 20s and should be among the best in their sport for the next decade-plus. Let’s check back in 15 years and see how many majors they have accrued.

There also seems to be a separation beginning. Sinner is the better hard-court player while Alcaraz is better on clay and on grass courts. Men’s tennis is going to be good for a long time to come.

Winner: Jannik Sinner

The Big 4 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic are now old news. Djokovic won Olympic gold but did not really come close to a Grand Slam victory. Instead, the new Big 2 – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – won all the majors. Sinner took the first major, the Australian Open, and the last, the US Open.

Along the way, Sinner has accumulated over 11,000 ranking points, only the sixth man to do that. He now leads ATP No. 2 Alexander Zverev by more than 4,000 points and the Italian is almost certainly going to finish the year at No. 1 unless something really weird happens.

Loser: Novak Djokovic

Djokovic played in the final at Wimbledon but he was nowhere near the quality of Carlos Alcaraz in the match and was swept away in straight sets. At the US Open, the Serb lost in the third round and dropped 1,900 points. He is now No. 4 with a decent chance of falling to No. 5 if Daniil Medvedev has a couple of good tournaments.

The fact is, though, that Djokovic might not care. He has accomplished everything anyone could ever dream of doing in tennis. If he never plays again, he should be satisfied.

Winner: Alexander Zverev

Zverev reached the quarterfinals of the US Open before bowing in four sets to finalist Taylor Fritz. Zverev did not play particularly well, but at least he could not blame an injury for the loss. That means the German is healthy enough to finish the year strong. He is now No. 2 and has a good chance of finishing the year at least in the top three on the ATP tour.

Loser: Ben Shelton

Shelton had a bit of bad luck in running into an in-form Frances Tiafoe in the third round. Shelton reached the semifinals of the US Open last year and his game should translate well to hard-court success for the next decade. He still needs to develop better touch and more consistency, however.

After losing to Tiafoe, Shelton dropped four spots in the rankings and is down to No. 17. That might be his lowest ranking for quite some time, but he still needs to get better on all surfaces.

Winner: Taylor Fritz

Fritz could not become the first American man to win the US Open since 2003, but he at least was the first American finalist since 2006. Losing to Sinner is no shame because the Italian is the most consistent player on the tour. Reaching the finals allowed Fritz to move back into the top 10, all the way to No. 7.

More tennis news and analysis: