A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
There is another installment in the rivalry at the center of men's tennis.
(CHEERING)
MARTÍNEZ: Carlos Alcaraz won the 2025 U.S. Open. After beating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in four sets on Sunday, Alcaraz is now the new top men's tennis player. The matchup between Alcaraz and Sinner was the third Grand Slam final in a row between them. Joining me now is Giri Nathan. He's a staff writer at sports and culture website Defector. He's also the author of a book about the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry. It's called "Changeover: A Young Rivalry And A New Era Of Men's Tennis."
So what's the key takeaway from yesterday's final? Because it looks like Alcaraz could not be beat. He didn't drop a set until he met Sinner yesterday.
GIRI NATHAN: Yeah, it was the rare match where these two weren't caught in a true battle. I think Alcaraz very cleanly outplayed Sinner in this one, and especially his serve was really dominant.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. What makes him so dominant right now? He's 22 years old. It looks like - I mean, he pretty much is unbeatable.
NATHAN: Yeah. These two guys are certainly above the fray, above everyone else, and they have distinct skills. But with Alcaraz, I think he's sort of a hodgepodge of every tennis skill there is. So maybe the best pure athlete on tour with his foot speed and his coordination, and he plays with a ton of creativity. So if I were to contrast the two, I would say Sinner is the epitome of great power and consistency, and Alcaraz is all about unpredictability and creativity 'cause you just never know what shot he's going to hit next.
MARTÍNEZ: What about their off-the-court personalities? Are they the type that likes the limelight, that wants to - want this rivalry to be something maybe more than it is?
NATHAN: Yeah, I had gotten a chance to know them a little bit. I think Sinner's more - likes to keep his public life and his private life a little more separate, a very cool, chilled out guy. Alcaraz is for sure more extroverted, and you see him play with the crowd, rile them up. It seems to be a big part of his tennis, is the spectacle aspect of it. And he ends up pulling off some pretty incredible shots, I think, for that reason.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, and he definitely has a personality. I think I heard him say about Sinner that he's spent more time with Sinner than his family in the last...
NATHAN: Yeah.
MARTÍNEZ: ...Few weeks.
NATHAN: (Laughter) Yeah. They just keep running into each other at the finals of these huge events. So the past six events that they've entered, they've met in the final in five of them. So they're definitely becoming this sort of duopoly that rules the sport.
MARTÍNEZ: So how does this new era in men's tennis compare to the last one? It was kind of a three-headed rivalry. It was Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. I mean, Djokovic is almost - probably going to retire soon. But how does this new era maybe compare to that old one?
NATHAN: Yeah, so - yeah. The big theme of my book is exploring this generational shift where those three household names - Federer, Nadal, Djokovic - were so dominant that they hoarded almost all the major titles in the sport. And it was kind of hard to see the future, what was coming next. So these two players, Sinner and Alcaraz, offered the first real vision of that future, and they were the ones who broke through Djokovic, who is kind of the last gatekeeper from the old guard. And they play with incredible power and spin. I think, like Djokovic, they have great flexibility, so they're able to get into these almost side-split positions and still hitting really offensive shots. So they're really great movers. They have no weaknesses, great serving and returning. So unlike a lot of players who came before them, there's really no weaknesses to attack.
MARTÍNEZ: If they could just pretend to hate each other, that would be great for me...
NATHAN: Yeah (laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: ...For a fan, right?
(LAUGHTER)
MARTÍNEZ: Giri Nathan is a staff writer at sports and culture website Defector. Giri, thank you very much.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TENNIS BALL")
HELLO PERIL: (Rapping) Check me out. Check me out.
NATHAN: Thanks.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TENNIS BALL")
HELLO PERIL: (Rapping) Check me out. We bounce back, bounce back like a tennis ball. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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