Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested another blockbuster Grand Slam final in a row on Sunday, their fifth consecutive meeting in the final of ATP Tour events.
On Sunday, Alcaraz stole back the world number one spot from Sinner, defeating his Italian opponent 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In 2025, their rivalry has reached new heights, with the Italian and Spaniard competing against each other in the last three Grand Slam finals.
The US Open final marked the pair’s meeting in five consecutive ATP-level events dating back to the Italian Open.
This record has been emulated just once before in the Open Era, all the way back in the 1980s.
John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were the last players to face each other in the final of five consecutive ATP-level events
It has been over 40 years since two ATP players faced each other in the final of five or more ATP-standard events.
John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl won 15 Grand Slam singles titles combined over the course of their careers, with McEnroe capturing seven and Lendl securing eight.
As per Opta Ace, the pair achieved the same feat as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, contesting five ATP-level finals between the 1983 end-of-year Masters and the 1984 French Open.
McEnroe won the first of their five meetings, defeating Lendl 6-3 6-4 6-4, before going on to win their next three finals in 1984; the American defeated Lendl in Philadelphia, Brussels and Forest Hills.
This streak of victories against Lendl would not last forever.
Lendl had his revenge against McEnroe in the 1984 French Open final, a match McEnroe would later describe as the ‘worst loss’ of his life.
John McEnroe’s ‘worst loss’ of his life
In his book ‘You Cannot be Serious,’ McEnroe revealed the pain of losing the 1984 French Open final to Ivan Lendl.
McEnroe took a two-set lead against Lendl in the final. However, Lendl roared back, claiming victory by a scoreline of 3-6 2-6 6-4 7-4 7-5.
In his book, McEnroe said: “It was the worst loss of my life, a devastating defeat: sometimes it still keeps me up nights.
“It’s even tough for me now to do the commentary at the French—I’ll often have one or two days when I literally feel sick to my stomach just at being there and thinking about that match.
“Thinking of what I threw away, and how different my life would’ve been if I’d won.”
