Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last five available Major titles, dominating men’s tennis over the past 12 months.

Sinner most recently won the Australian Open, as he took down Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, in the final, defending his title, having also won in 2024.

His rival, Alcaraz, lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, exciting fans again during his stint at Melbourne Park.

They have both impressed at the beginning of 2025, as one WTA Tour legend has now given her thoughts on how the pair may be changing the game of tennis.

Kim Clijsters thinks Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are heading a new change in men’s tennis

Appearing as a guest on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, former world number one Kim Clijsters explained the change in tennis she’s noticed recently.

“I feel like men’s tennis, the guys are hitting the ball so much harder,” she said.

“They are not standing that far behind the baseline any more like years ago they used to, when I started.

“Some do, but when you get to these matches, look at Novak [Djokovic], the way he builds his points, he hardly hits two or three shots in the same corner.”

Clijsters went on to pick out the two players that she thinks are heading this new change on the ATP Tour.

“The game is changing for men,” she said.

“Especially those guys like [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner, whenever they have a short ball they are going for winners.

“I remember when we were younger it was like ‘okay I can step in, but I am going to keep the rally going, wait for the right shot’ whereas I feel like Sinner and Alcaraz, they are so aggressive.”

Roddick was in agreement, as he picked out the two players on the ATP Tour who have achieved success with a less aggressive style.

“I think you have to be a monster physically to cruise back now,” he said.

“[Alexander] Zverev does it, he doesn’t get inside the court very often.

“[Daniil] Medvedev does it but he has this ball flight where he can go 12 feet behind the baseline and still have net clearance of three inches and do it consistently so if you are playing against him you are hitting up to him all the time, it’s not too dissimilar to Lleyton back in the day.”

How do Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev compare to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?

Roddick and Clijsters noted a difference in the way four of tennis’ top stars play the game, but how successful have they been in recent years?

Having spent more time on the ATP Tour, you would expect Medvedev and Zverev to have their younger counterparts covered, but in reality, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The younger duo have spent eight fewer years on the tour, but in that time have won more Major titles and held the number one spot in the world rankings for a combined 54 extra weeks.

It’s also not too hard to believe that Sinner and Alcaraz will catch Zverev and Medvedev for ATP Finals wins and Masters 1000 titles over the next few years.

In 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz combined for four Masters 1000 wins, and the Italian took home the ATP Finals title in Turin.

The German and Russian were only able to combine for two Masters 1000s last year, a worrying sign, as their lead over the younger duo continues to shorten.

Only time will tell if Alcaraz and Sinner will continue to dominate the ATP Tour, but for Zverev and Medvedev, they may start to worry that their time for winning trophies is already over.

Alcaraz and Medvedev will get back into action on the ATP Tour at the Rotterdam Open which begins on February 3, while Zverev returns in Buenos Aires on February 10, and Sinner gets set to take part in Doha, one week later.

Related Topics