Six players who might slow down Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner from taking over men’s tennis
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been dominating the ATP Tour since early 2024, winning nine Grand Slam titles in a row from the Australian Open to this year’s same event. That streak ended at the French Open when Alexander Zverev took his first major win, but Alcaraz and Sinner are still the top players: Sinner even defended his Wimbledon title by beating Zverev in the final.
So, we’ve done what makes sense: picked six players we believe have the best shot at mixing things up in the long run, and ranked them.
1. Arthur Fery
Starting with a surprise star nobody saw coming before Wimbledon, Fery entered ranked No. 114 but had an incredible run, becoming the lowest-ranked Wimbledon semi-finalist since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. He beat big names like Grigor Dimitrov and French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, thrilling the crowd before Zverev ended his run in the semis. That performance lifted him to No. 36 and made him Britain’s No. 1. Even Zverev, who just won a Slam and lost to Fery, said this young player has a bright future. Based on two weeks of magic, he tops our list.
2. Rafael Jadar
A year ago, Jadar was far outside the top 600. Now he’s No. 26 with an amazing 19-4 clay court record, only Sinner has done better this year. He reached big Masters quarter-finals and, on his Wimbledon debut, became only the third Spanish teenager in the Open Era to make the third round—joining Nadal and Alcaraz. Jadar’s already pushed Sinner hard, earning a compliment from him, and he keeps improving fast.
3. Joao Fonseca
Fonseca has the talent to be number one: two ATP titles, a NextGen Finals win, and a career-high ranking of 24—all as a teenager. But 2026 has been up and down for him, with some early losses and some big wins like reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals. The talent is clear, but the big question is whether he can stay consistent week after week like Sinner and Alcaraz.
4. Jakub Mensik
Mensik already has big achievements. At 19, he won a Masters 1000 title in Miami, beating Novak Djokovic in the final and other top players on the way. Only Alcaraz was younger when winning a Masters. With a powerful serve and a game suited for hard courts, his biggest challenge is consistency—something every great player must crack.
5. Learner Tien
Tien doesn’t have a blazing serve or clay-court reputation, but he quietly causes problems for many players. He was the youngest to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round since Nadal in 2005 and finished last season with an amazing win streak in Beijing, beating top players like Medvedev on the way to the ATP 500 final. He’s low-key but very impressive and probably underrated.
6. Ben Shelton
Shelton is still a strong contender but hasn’t found the perfect formula yet, so he’s sixth on the list for now. He made history as the first American man since Agassi in 2002 to win an ATP 500 clay court title, then also won his first grass title soon after. Winning on all three surfaces in one year is rare and shows a serious level. Even at No. 6, he’s someone to watch closely.