Boris Becker questions the state of men's tennis after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner breeze to another final

Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker and Andra Petkovic sat down on their podcast to debrief the events from the US Open, with Becker slamming the chasing pack for not keeping up with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

No one close to the top two

For a third consecutive time at a Grand Slam, the duo clashed in the final after looking imperious throughout the event. Alcaraz would clinch his second US Open title and re-take the world number one spot ahead of his rival. But once again, questions have been raised about the competition they face.

On the Becker-Petkovic podcast, Becker criticises the players who are supposed to be competing with Sinner and Alcaraz for the big titles, unhappy with them 'accepting being second or third best'.

"It’s absurd. There are too few top players at the moment," Becker said. "Yes, we praise Sinner and Alcaraz—between them and Novak [Djokovic] they’ve won the last eight Slams. But what about the rest? Zverev, Draper, Fritz, de Minaur, Ruud, Rune, Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov—these guys are all top 10. Where are they? It bothers me that too many accept being second or third best. They reach quarterfinals or semifinals and say, 'That’s okay.' No—it’s not okay if you want to be the best. Players hide behind 'Sinner and Alcaraz are so much better than us.' Why not think strategically about how to beat them? Watch old matches, study what worked. It’s not rocket science.

"Take the US Open semifinal: Zverev actually played very well. He even had chances in the fourth set. But why isn’t anyone really forcing Sinner or Alcaraz? Jannik has had injury breaks in two Slams now—Melbourne and New York. Is he more physically vulnerable? Why don’t the others exploit it? Too many are satisfied with the second role. That’s what bothers me."

The pair shared their concerns over the fitness of some of the players, citing Jack Draper and Ben Shelton as to examples after their US Open campaign was halted through injury.

"I mentioned earlier—where are Draper, Ruud, Rune, Medvedev, Zverev? These are all top 5–10 guys, but we didn’t see them deep at the last two Slams. What’s happening?" Petkovic said.

Becker replied: "Sascha’s [Zverev] early loss looks worse in hindsight, because Felix Auger-Aliassime played incredible tennis, maybe his best ever, and then reached the semis. Draper and Shelton worry me more—they had to pull out with injuries. These are 22–23-year-olds, in peak physical years. Yet they break down in the biggest moments. Injuries often come from stress and pressure, and I think that plays a role."

Petkovic continued this by questioning specifically where Holger Rune was, as Becker said: "Rune has to get back on track. I need him—because he believes he can beat Djokovic. Fritz said before playing Novak, “Yes, of course he’s the favorite.” You can’t say that. If you already believe it, you’ve lost. Rune would never say that. He has the attitude, but he needs to back it up with the right coach, right preparation, right strategy."

Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry

Sinner's impeccable 2025 hardcourt form has taken a massive dent after two consecutive final losses to Alcaraz in Cincinnati and New York. Three of his four Grand Slams are on that surface, showing his expertise on it. However, Becker criticised the Italian in the US Open final for being too predictable, not changing his game enough to compete with Alcaraz.

"Honestly, I was a little disappointed—not in Carlos, but in the match," he said. "Alcaraz today plays better tennis than a year ago. More variation, better tempo changes, serve-and-volley, backhand slice, disguised forehands. For the first time, Sinner stood still. He’s predictable. I know it, Alcaraz knows it. That’s dangerous. Carlos took a step forward, Jannik stayed the same. Even Sinner admitted afterward: 'Carlos has developed, I have not.'"

Despite his disappointment with Sinner, Becker was full of praise for Alcaraz. He picked up what the Spaniard had improved on since the Wimbledon final loss, adding key elements to his game to get the better of Sinner. He also lauded the Spaniard's serve, with it being a key component in his success in the States.