The Fall of Sincaraz: How the Men's Field Looks Without Its Top Players

When Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in the 2026 US Open men’s singles final, match commentator John McEnroe ended his coverage by saying, “Get well soon, Carlos and Jannik.” Although the former Grand Slam champion got some backlash for the comments, he brings up a valid point: the men’s field has dramatically shifted with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz out of commission.

Jannik Sinner’s Mixed Season

Thanks to various health issues and subsequent withdrawals, Sinner’s 2026 season was quite mixed before he called it quits in early October. He made it to the Australian Open semifinal but did not get to defend his title thanks to a surprise semifinal win by Novak Djokovic. However, the Italian player did then secure six ATP Tour titles over the next few months, including a maiden Indian Wells championship.

In the summer, Sinner started to have difficulties with the heat and made headlines again for requesting medical timeouts. He exited the French Open during only the second round, but he came back to defeat Zverev in the Wimbledon final after four sets (6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4). From then on, a knee injury caused Sinner to withdraw until he announced he would fully miss the rest of the 2026 season.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Road to Recovery

Carlos Alcaraz has not been entirely absent this 2026 season, but he has certainly faced a long road to recovery. The year started out strong with him winning his first Australian Open title by defeating Djokovic in four sets (2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5). This victory completed his Career Grand Slam. It was relatively smooth from there until he had to withdraw from the Barcelona Open due to a left wrist injury.

Alcaraz missed the next four months of the ATP Tour due to a wrist injury, making his return at the US Open. He was not in top shape, but he still made it to the semifinal before Shelton got the best of him. The Spaniard won his first Japan Open title a month later, but he admitted afterward that he is still “trying to get my level back. I would say I’m still far from it.” That proved true when Alcaraz was eliminated in Shanghai during the third round.

The Rise of Alexander Zverev

Zverev has stayed consistent and made the most of the men’s singles field without Sincaraz to stop him. Before this season, the German player had only made two Grand Slam finals in the past five years, losing the 2024 French Open title to Alcaraz and the 2025 Australian Open title to Sinner.

At the French Open this year, he only had to face Flavio Cobolli and won in a thrilling five-set match (6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1). Sinner suffered from heat exhaustion throughout the tournament, a growing issue for the player, and exited early. It was also the first Grand Slam that Alcaraz missed due to his wrist injury.

Zverev then won his second Grand Slam title at this year’s US Open, defeating Ben Shelton in four sets (6–3, 7–6(2), 5–7, 6–2). Although he played very well, many critics said the win was due to the combination of Sinner’s absence, Alcaraz’s rusty return, and an unusual path to the final thanks to a series of upsets. The Italian’s withdrawal from the rest of the season also helped guarantee that Zverev will rank at No. 1 for the first time.

The Decline of Novak Djokovic

Although Zverev has somewhat consistently sat at No. 3 on the ATP rankings, some fans hoped that this would be Djokovic’s chance to start winning Grand Slam titles again. Unfortunately, the 39-year-old Serbian has had a pretty tough season since the Australian Open.

Djokovic suffered a shocking third-round French Open exit to rising star Joao Fonseca, and the greatest upset at the US Open was his first-round defeat by unseeded Mariano Navone. He won his seventh consecutive China Open a month later, but it seems age has stopped Djokovic from making the most of Sincaraz’s absence.

American Breakthroughs

The fall of Sincaraz has also left room for some American breakthroughs, particularly for Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. Both players made history this year as the first Grand Slam semifinal between two Black American men, and Shelton was the first Black man to reach the US Open final in over 50 years.

The absence of Sinner and Alvarez does not take away from either player’s success, as Tiafoe had already made two previous US Open semifinals, losing to Alcaraz in 2022 and Taylor Fritz in 2024. Freshly 24-year-old Shelton has also long seemed destined for greatness, but the current men’s field has perhaps brought it a bit sooner than expected.

The Rest of the Top 10

The rest of the ATP Top 10 are also in an interesting position without Alcaraz and Sinner dominating the field. After Sinner’s early exit at the French Open, Cobolli made his first Grand Slam final. In fact, it was the first time the Italian player had even made it past the quarterfinals anywhere other than the Cincinnati Open.

Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex de Minaur are the three remaining top 10 players, and they have each had mixed success even without Sincaraz. Medvedev took home three lower ATP titles this year in Brisbane, Dubai, and Hangzhou. Auger-Aliassime won Open Occitanie / Montpellier but nowhere else. Lastly, de Minaur defeated FAA at the Rotterdam Open and faced Djokovic in the China Open before retiring at the start of the second set.

The 2026 Season Ahead

There is about a month left of the 2026 season, and the remaining titles likely belong to Zverev. Alcaraz is steadily improving, but it is unclear when or if he will return to the player he once was. There are also some rising stars in the mix, including Jakub Mensik and Rafael Jodar, that could use this moment to make their mark.

Ben Shelton may even come back and enact revenge for his Flushing Meadows loss by taking home his first ATP Finals title. The last few months have made one thing clear: anything can happen in a season that has only seen one Sincaraz final.

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