Roger Federer’s Ex-coach Insists Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Will Maintain Dominance Despite Alexander Zverev’s French Open Triumph

There’s a growing debate over whether Alexander Zverev’s French Open win will mark the end of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance on tour. After Sinner and Alcaraz had won nine consecutive Grand Slams, Zverev broke their run at Roland Garros, winning his first career major title after years of heartbreak.

Zverev had burst onto the scene in the ATP at a time when Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal were still dominating the men’s circuit. He, however, reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2020 US Open but couldn’t claim the title, losing to Dominic Thiem. As the Big 3’s dominance began to wane, Zverev was seen as one of the few players to continue to emerge from their ranks.

But the World No.3 watched as Sinner and Alcaraz emerged and dominated the ATP Tour. Both players won at least two Grand Slams each in 2024 and 2025, with Zverev losing to them in the finals. Alcaraz continued his dominance at the Australian Open, winning the championship to complete his Career Grand Slam.

Nonetheless, Alcaraz suffered an injury in Barcelona, which ruled him out of the French Open. Also, Sinner and Djokovic suffered early exits at Roland Garros, leaving Zverev as the only top-4 player in the draw. In the end, he made sure to claim the French Open after beating Flavio Cobolli in the final.

Now, following the fallout of the French Open, some analysts think that Zverev will break Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry and, in fact, make it a Big 3 rivalry. But Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic doesn’t agree with that. He revealed to We All Love Tennis that nothing will change in the men’s circuit despite Zverev’s victory at the French Open:

I don’t think he’s going to change much. What has changed for Sascha is the result, but not his style of play. It’s an important victory, no doubt, but it doesn’t represent a technical or tactical transformation. He won a match he had to win, but Sinner and Alcaraz are still stronger. He will always be the first of the second group , the player who prefers to wait on the court. The outcome of matches doesn’t always depend on him.

Zverev didn’t deliver a convincing performance in the French Open final against Cobolli. He had to drag the tie to five sets despite having chances to seal the tie early. Those weaknesses are what Sinner and Alcaraz have exploited in recent months. Zverev’s inability to finish off opponents will always allow top players to find a way to defeat him.

Andre Agassi says nothing will change for Alexander Zverev after Grand Slam win

Alexander Zverev has been under immense pressure to win a major title for the past three years. In each Grand Slam, he’s amongst the favorites to win it, but most times fails to even reach the final. This year’s French Open was just his third Grand Slam final in the past four years. Boris Becker, one of his foremost critics, had on several occasions slammed him for failing to win a Grand Slam.

However, he got a bit of luck at the French Open and won the championship without facing a top-8 opponent. In a conversation on TNT Sports, Andre Agassi gave a similar assessment to what Ivan Ljubicic gave, pointing out that winning a Grand Slam doesn’t change anything for Zverev on tour:

You can win a Slam… does it really change your life? You can say it, it’s easy to say, but I don’t know if it does. We have had a lot of one Slam wonders, that have done some incredible — I’m sure they’re thrilled they won. When I finally got over the finish line [and won my first Grand Slam], I was let in on a dirty little secret: that winning changes nothing.

Zverev was scheduled to play in the ongoing Stuttgart Open, but he withdrew days before the event began. It is yet to be revealed whether he will play in any warm-up tournament ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. He doesn’t have a good record at Wimbledon, as he has never gone past the round of 16.

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