Former world number five says what she thinks Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry is missing

Anna Chakvetadze claims something is missing from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry

Anna Chakvetadze knows what it is like to be one of the best tennis players in the world, having reached a career-high ranking of world number five in 2007.

This was around the time of the emergence of the big three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

With Nadal and Federer now retired from tennis, there was some concern about who would fill the role of the big three.

While Alcaraz and Sinner appear to have filled that void, Chakvetadze believes that a third player is missing from the rivalry.

“I think everyone can see how determined both Alcaraz and Sinner are,” Chakvetadze told Tennis365. “Right now, they clearly have a real rivalry, very similar in feeling to what we once saw between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.”

Chakvetadze continued, “At the moment, it almost feels like something is missing — a strong third player in that battle.

“Maybe a third contender will emerge next season, but for now, in terms of level and consistency, Alcaraz and Sinner are clearly ahead of the rest.”

Who could challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026?

The only player to reach a Grand Slam final in 2025 other than Alcaraz and Sinner is Alexander Zverev, the world number three who finished as runner-up at the Australian Open.

However, Zverev was unable to beat either Alcaraz or Sinner last year, but there were 10 players who did beat at least one of them in 2025.

One of those was Djokovic, who beat Alcaraz at the Australian Open last year and is still competing at 38 years old.

While Djokovic is undoubtedly nearing the end of his career, he reached four Grand Slam semifinals last year and is perhaps the most likely player to pick up the pieces if either Alcaraz or Sinner falter.

There are also younger talents like Joao Fonseca who could be a potential future player to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner.

Alcaraz and Sinner will no doubt have a target on their backs when the Australian Open gets underway on January 18.