Alcaraz, Sinner strengthen duopoly over men's tennis with another final

LONDON (AP) — It's fitting that the Wimbledon final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on Sunday represents the first time the same two men meet for that title right after playing for the French Open trophy since a couple of guys named Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did so every year from 2006-2008.

That's because the only real competition the No. 1-ranked Sinner and the No. 2-ranked Alcaraz face at the moment comes from each other — not anyone else currently on the men's tennis tour — and the only comparisons that feel somewhat appropriate come by measuring them against the greatness of the Big Three.

Let's be clear: It's too early to put Alcaraz or Sinner in a class with Federer and Nadal — each retired with at least 20 Grand Slam titles — or Novak Djokovic, who is still going at age 38 with 24 majors. But as Djokovic himself put it: "We know they're the dominant force right now."

Sinner, Alcaraz have won past 6 major titles

They have combined to win the last six majors, a streak that will grow to seven on Sunday. Go further back, and it'll be nine of the past 12 Slams (the others in that span went to Djokovic). Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, already owns five such trophies; Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, has three.

Their combined age is the lowest for Wimbledon men's finalists since Federer, just shy of 25, faced Nadal, 20, in 2006.

"We are still really young. So I just hope ... (we) keep doing the right things for, I don't know, the next, I don't know, five, 10 years," Alcaraz said, "just to (put) our rivalry (on) the same table as those players."

Alcaraz on huge winning streak

He is on a 24-match unbeaten run currently, plus has won 20 in a row at Wimbledon as he pursues a third consecutive title.

Sinner is participating in his fourth consecutive major final, including victories at the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.

"The anticipation for this final is big, is amazing," Djokovic said.

Alcaraz vs. Sinner demands attention

When Alcaraz fought back from a two-set deficit and erased three championship points to defeat Sinner in five sets spread across 5 hours, 29 minutes at Roland-Garros last month, there were immediate comparisons to what many consider the greatest men's tennis match ever: Nadal's win over Federer in five sets at the All England Club in 2008.

Sinner says his rivalry with Alcaraz benefits tennis

"It's good for the sport," said Sinner, who said his right elbow that was hurt in a fall in the fourth round and was covered by tape and an arm sleeve in his semifinal victory over Djokovic won't be an issue Sunday. "The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other."

Like Federer and Nadal, these two go about winning differently.

Sinner boasts metronomic precision with his pure and powerful groundstrokes generated by his long limbs, force-blunting returns and a serve that might be the most dangerous on tour. Alcaraz is a master of creativity and versatility with speed to spare, able to hammer shots from the baseline or charge the net or end a point with a well-disguised drop shot.

"They bring out the best in each other. It's going to come down to just the big moments. It's so tough to call it," said Taylor Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner at Flushing Meadows and beaten by Alcaraz on Friday. "They both generate a lot of just raw power. But I think for me, it's a little more uncomfortable to play Carlos, just because of the unpredictability of what he's going to do."

Will French Open memories linger?

How will what happened in Paris just five weeks ago affect things?

Will Alcaraz carry extra confidence from his fifth straight win over Sinner? Will Sinner bear a mental burden from the way he let one get away or figure out what went wrong and correct it?

Alcaraz doesn't think that loss will affect Sinner this time.

Sinner said he rested and relaxed for a couple of days following that setback, eating barbecued food with family and playing ping-pong with friends, before getting back to business. If he truly were devastated, he argued, he wouldn't have reached his first Wimbledon final so soon after.

"Let's hope it's another beautiful match played at a very high level," Sinner said, "and may the best man win."

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis