Frances Tiafoe Struggles to Believe Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are ‘Unbeatable’

Frances Tiafoe beat both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2021, his lone victory against the formidable World No.1 and World No.2.

Frances Tiafoe Struggles to Believe Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are ‘Unbeatable’

Frances Tiafoe, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/US Open Tennis, Jannik Sinner HQ)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have become nearly invincible as they rarely lose matches. This season, their combined titles tally was 14, which they won from a combined 22 finals.

Those titles also include the four Majors as the World No.2 defended his Australian Open crown and became a Wimbledon champion for the first time. The six-time Grand Slam champion, on the other hand, defended his French Open crown and denied Sinner his second consecutive US Open title.

They, in fact, claimed the last eight Majors. Frances Tiafoe, who has defeated both of them once, compared them to the Big 4. The American called Alcaraz a combination of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, while Sinner, he thinks, has skills like those of Djokovic and Andre Agassi. Tiafoe also thinks that after the Big 3 era, the men’s tour has become more open.

It really is open. From three to 100, with the guy winning in Shanghai [Valentin Vacherot]. It’s an exciting time in that sense, and when you think about it, at the end of a Slam, you have to beat two guys rather than three guys, and a lot of times the four guys in the semis were already a lock. I just think there is a big opening in tennis, and that’s what I am really excited about.

Frances Tiafoe said during the Nothing Major podcast

Tiafoe met Alcaraz twice, winning their first encounter in 2021. Against Sinner as well, the lone victory came in 2021. Tiafoe trails 1-4 in the head-to-head matchups against the four-time Grand Slam champion.

I still don’t think these guys are unbeatable. I struggle to believe that. I have to think that way. I have played Carlos twice, and I lost to him in five. He has won two slams, and I feel like I missed out on that. I lost to him at Wimbledon, and I felt that was one I let go. At the [US] Open, I was hanging on for dear life. But at Wimbledon, I really felt like I was up with a couple of 0-30s.

Frances Tiafoe added

Tiafoe, No. 30 in the world, finished the season with a 26-23 win-loss record. He had a disappointing season as he not only failed to win a title, but he also reached just one final. The 27-year-old played the title clash of the ATP Houston only to lose to compatriot Jenson Brooksby. It was also the only time Tiafoe made the semifinals of a tournament.

Tiafoe finished the season early after a defeat to Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters. As he’s dealing with a massive slump in form, Tiafoe deemed it best to risk not gaining a seeding at the Australian Open and instead get into new habits and change certain aspects of his game.

Tommy Paul’s coach noticed a clear change in Jannik Sinner’s game

Jannik Sinner lost just six matches this year; four of these defeats came against Carlos Alcaraz. After his US Open disappointment, Sinner called himself a predictable player and revealed his plan to make some changes to his game. Now, Brad Stine, the coach of Tommy Paul, on Tennis Channel, revealed what changes he saw in Sinner’s game.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Jannik clearly is coming forward more, attacking a little bit more than he was before. Carlos is making some tweaks to little technical things.

Sinner trails 6-10 in the head-to-head matchups against the 22-year-old. In their last encounter, Sinner defeated him to defend his ATP Finals crown.

The arch-rivals will face each other in an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, before the 2026 Australian Open. Alcaraz is participating in exhibitions and has already played two singles matches, losing one to Frances Tiafoe and winning one against Joao Fonseca.

Also read: Nick Kyrgios Claims What Needs to Happen for Alex de Minaur to Win the Australian Open 2026