The 2026 tennis season is gradually gaining momentum. This 1xBet review will focus on the main contenders for victory in the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments.
New realities
In the third decade of the 21st century, the great trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic has been replaced by the duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. They hold the top two spots in the long-term predictions of the global brand 1xBet for the winners of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
The Italian is slightly ahead of the Spaniard in all aspects, which is quite surprising. First, Alcaraz holds the edge in head-to-head matchups (12-8), including exhibition matches. Second, Carlos has been more successful in Grand Slam tournaments, with 7 titles compared to Jannik’s 4. Third, in the current ATP rankings, Alcaraz leads decisively, outpacing second-ranked Sinner by at least 3,000 points.
Overall, the likelihood of either player winning a given major is approximately 50/50. In the draw, Alcaraz will top the upper half of the bracket, while Sinner will occupy the lower half. Over time, they could switch positions, which would still ensure they meet only in the final.
In 2024 and 2025, Alcaraz and Sinner split the Grand Slam titles between them. Currently, Carlos is the reigning champion at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the US Open, while Jannik will have to defend his Wimbledon title.
Unlike Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, who each had their signature surface, Alcaraz and Sinner are significantly more versatile than their predecessors. Considering that Carlos turns 23 this year and Jannik 25, it’s reasonable to expect that by the end of their careers, at least one of them could match the Swiss legend in Grand Slam titles and even challenge the greatness of the Serb. Of course, this assumes that a 3rd star doesn’t emerge in the meantime. For now, however, nothing suggests that this established duopoly will be broken.
Currently, the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 enjoy a massive advantage over the rest of the players. The gap in class is so significant that, in the semifinals of the last Australian Open, their chances of winning exceeded 90%.
What is the most likely scenario for the 2026 majors? Alcaraz and Sinner will advance toward another head-to-head clash from opposite sides of the draw. The trend over the past two seasons shows that neither player will be eliminated at the same time before the final. Even if one exits a tournament early, the other is virtually guaranteed to reach the final. Opponents can only hope for injuries to the leaders or disqualifications. And what a disqualification is, Jannik Sinner knows firsthand.
Unique position of Novak Djokovic
Another feature of tennis today is that Novak Djokovic can beat any opponent except the aforementioned Sinner and Alcaraz. Yes, the ageless veteran defeated the Italian at the 2026 Australian Open, but it was an absolutely sensational victory that ended a streak of 7 hopeless losses. Nole’s ambition remains sky-high, but for him to claim a 25th Grand Slam title, a perfect alignment of stars would be required.
Alexander Zverev – eternal finalist
Zverev faces an even tougher situation than Djokovic. The German has long been a fixture in the ATP top 5, yet he still hasn’t managed to capture a major title. The only way Alexander can shake off the finals runner-up label is if Sinner and Alcaraz exit before the semifinals. But in 2026, that seems highly unlikely.
Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and other top-10 tennis players in the world rankings are not serious contenders to win one of the majors. The ceiling for these athletes is to offer maximum resistance to Sinner and Alcaraz, only to leave the court defeated.
