Jannik Sinner gets blow on eve of US Open title defence as Carlos Alcaraz to benefit

Jannik Sinner has received a brutal reality check as he prepares to defend his title at the US Open. The world No. 1 recently lifted his fourth Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final. If he can retain his crown in Flushing Meadows, he'll tie Alcaraz on five Majors.

However, tennis fans believe Alcaraz will be the player who prospers in their rivalry. The world No. 2 had never lost a Grand Slam final until Sinner beat him in four sets at the All England Club, and the Italian is now hot on his heels when it comes to collecting the sport's biggest trophies, but Alcaraz has still been tipped for a brighter future.

Sinner lifted his fourth Major title last month. He's won two of the three Slams so far this year, also defending his Australian Open title, and he came painstakingly close to winning the French Open, blowing three championship points to Alcaraz.

The 24-year-old has been the most consistent player in the last couple of years and already has an impressive 31-4 match-winning record in 2025 despite serving a three-month suspension from February to May.

But Express Sport readers are still tipping Alcaraz to emerge victorious in their rivalry, as 57 per cent said the Spanish star would end his career with more Grand Slam titles than Sinner.

The race is currently tight; Sinner has four Majors to Alcaraz's five. But the Italian is now in a race against time to recover for the US Open after picking up an illness in Cincinnati, where he was also the defending champion.

Sinner was forced to retire just 23 minutes into Monday's final, with Alcaraz leading 5-0. "Usually I'd start with the opponent but today I have to start with you guys," he told the crowd during his runner-up speech.

"I'm super super sorry to disappoint you. From yesterday I didn't feel great. I thought it would improve during the night but it came up worse. I tried to make it at least a small match but I couldn't handle more."

The world No. 1 pulled out of the US Open mixed doubles tournament the following day, but is expecting to be ready to defend his title when the main draw kicks off on Monday.

Meanwhile, retired tennis legend Mats Wilander seems to agree that Alcaraz will be more successful in the long term, even if Sinner wins the US Open again next month.

"If I had to pick a favourite, I would pick Jannik Sinner, because I think that there's less of a chance that he loses early in the tournament than it is for Carlos Alcaraz," he told TNT Sports.

Bringing Alcaraz into the GOAT conversation, he added: "Well, I love hearing the ambition level, of course. And I think already he's on his way to becoming one of the greatest of all time.

"And as long as we only have Jannik Sinner there as a serious challenger - because in the last few years, that seems to be the case - I think that we have to talk about Carlitos Alcaraz as one of the greats of our sport."

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