And just as Djokovic had a couple of hurdles by the names of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to deal with, Sinner is not alone among the newest generation of tennis stars. His top rival at this point is Carlos Alcaraz, who has four Slam victories at age 21 — and won all three matches he played against Sinner in 2024.

Reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner has been entangled in a doping case that could lead to a two-year ban from tennis. The Italian, who won his second straight Australian Open title by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the final on Sunday, now stands atop the world rankings.