Jannik Sinner has expertly taken over the mantle from Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP Tour after his dominant run at the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz claimed two titles earlier in the season, emerging victorious at the Australian Open and Qatar, having also held the world number one ranking.
He has since lost that status to Sinner, who is now a four-time winner in the 2026 ATP season after thumping Alexander Zverev in the Madrid final.
Zverev has apologised after losing to Sinner in their Madrid Open meeting, having competed for less than an hour in the 6-1, 6-2 defeat.
But despite his run and his world number three ranking, Zverev is not the player capable of challenging the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, according to Marion Bartoli.
When does Jannik Sinner next lose a tennis match? 👀
Marion Bartoli says only Novak Djokovic can challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Former WTA star and 2013 Wimbledon champion Bartoli said on Sky Sports Tennis: “For me the only one who is capable of competing is Novak Djokovic.
“For me Novak is obviously the one not playing here but when he is fit and healthy he is the only one who can challenge them a bit.
“But for the rest the gap is becoming so enormous that you feel for the rest of the field it must be a bit discouraging.
“Because if you want to win a Slam or a Masters 1000 it is very rare you are not going to get Sinner or Alcaraz or even Djokovic to play, so you are going to have to run into them and beat them.
“What we are seeing so far it is not even beating them, it’s trying to get games.”
When do you think Novak Djokovic will return?
He still hasn't played a match on clay this year…
Novak Djokovic’s record vs Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz missed the Madrid Open with injury, with his wrist issue also ruling him out of the Italian Open and the French Open.
But much less active in recent times has been ATP number four Djokovic, who has played just nine matches throughout the 2026 season.
The Serbian boasts a 7-3 win-loss record from his two tournaments, which includes an Australian Open final defeat to Alcaraz.
At 38, Djokovic is understandably carefully managing his schedule, but he is clearly a major threat when he does finally take to the court.
The veteran has a 5-5 head-to-head record with Alcaraz following their Australian Open clash, while his record with Sinner currently stands at 5-6.
Youth is clearly on the side of the Italian and the Spaniard, but Djokovic can always rely on his experience to help him out when he’s under pressure, and of course his world-class talent despite his age.
His threat to the leading duo does, however, present the ATP Tour with quite the dilemma, with Sinner and Alcaraz potentially set to utterly dominate the sport for years to come when Djokovic inevitably retires.
