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Jannik’s Sinner’s win at the Australian Open means that players not named Nadal or Djokovic have won 3 of the last 6 Majors.

2022 USO- Alcaraz

2023 AO – Djokovic

2023 RG – Djokovic

2023 Wim – Alcaraz

2023 USO – Djokovic

2024 AO – Sinner.

Before that 2022 Alcaraz win, Djokovic and Nadal had split 17 of the previous 19 slams between them (Nadal x 6; Djokovic x 9) with Thiem and Medvedev winning the USO ’20 and ’21 titles respectively.

Thiem’s win at the USO ’20 didn’t signify much. That slam win had been some time coming for him and his drop off from the top soon after shows he was nearing the end of his prime.

Medvedev’s 2021 USO victory did seem to potentially portend more. However, he just hasn’t been able to follow through and now aged 27 it’s unlikely he’s going to lead any eras.

Alcaraz and Sinner are quite different cases. Alcaraz has been breaking records – the youngest No.1 and YE No.1 the most significant- and dethroned Djokovic at Wimbledon. The USO has always been the Major where players could breakthrough more easily coming at the end of the season and the surface the game’s most neutral. But Wimbledon has always been dominated by the greats and beating Djokovic there will have really dented the Serbian’s hopes to extend his reign at the top of the game into his late 30s.

Losing at the Australian Open to Sinner will also have damaged his confidence. The two slams his game suits the most are now no longer his. However, his versatility and adaptability mean he’ll still have chances to defend at RG and the USO.

Alcaraz is more likely to upset him at RG than Sinner. Nadal will be there, too, but we can’t say much about his chances right now.

Other contenders at RG to dethrone Djokovic are:

Sinner

Rune (he’s lost form but he can regain it and he’s not afraid of Djokovic)

Ruud (such a choice might seem crazy considering his recent form but players can regain form and he’s still young and very experienced at RG).

Djokovic could easily still win RG, Wim and the USO. His loss at the AO doesn’t really mean much until we see how he comes back from it. So, it’s still to early to say any tides have turned. But we’re getting closer each slam. Let’s see if Alcaraz and Sinner can gain further ground, sandy in Paris, soft in London, in the coming months.

The key to Sinner’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win over Djokovic in the AO semis was the serve – against the best returner in the game, the Italian faced zero break points.

The fourth seed’s two victories at the end of last season (WTF; Davis Cup) seem to have given him a taste for usurping the Serb. This time he did it on the top seed’s favorite stage.

Sinner now goes into his first ever slam final in championship winning form and with momentum. Last season, he won his first Masters title, reached the WTF final and his first slam semi. This was the next step, a win over Djokovic to reach a Major final, and those long legs of his obliged.

Djokovic seemed keen to give him a helping hand, too. The defending champion was subdued and error prone in the first two sets. His opponent’s confidence and coolness seemed to unsettle him. Windy conditions and the relative unknown of a day time match up on the Rod Laver Arena no doubt added to the weirdness of it all. This was his court, after all. Sinner, however, was hell bent on making himself at home.

The top seed improved his serve in the third set and resisted the Italian as best as he could, taking the third set on a close tiebreaker. A slight wobble from Sinner was expected. His only previous slam semi-final fell flat at the hands of his opponent in straights just seven months ago. There were other demonic memories to quell, too; the two sets to love lead he held over Djokovic that Wimbledon quarter-final was one he’d recovered from but such defeats can rear their ugly heads at will.

Not this time, though. Sinner knew he had to deliver. Aged 22 and on the rise, if he didn’t do this now, the chance of him doing it another big match like this diminished. The time, against an opponent aged 36, really had come and Sinner was ready. There was to be no two sets to love down fightback versus a nervous, angst-ridden next gen for the ten time champion. Just as there would be no break points.

None. Not a single one.

Sinner’s semi-final upset accomplished, next up is a debut major final, against Medvedev or Zverev, to tackle. The fourth seeded Italian seems to know what he needs to do in these challenging milestones. Doing so seems the logical next step, but a defeat wouldn’t be a surprise. Sometimes too much too soon can be bad for you, and Sinner has had his fill in recent months. Still, hunger that his slender frame doesn’t attest to seems to be driving him. All those waiting for this kind of NextGen breakthrough will be bracing themselves for the ride.

Before the tournament, I posted how I hoped an Alcaraz takeover was on the cards.

As it turned out on Sunday, my worst nightmare occurred- Djokovic extended his era.

The second seed and today’s world No.1 beat Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Djokovic took a comfortable first set 6-3. A stroll to the title looked inevitable. Medvedev was playing poorly. His back was practically rubbing against the advertising stands on the return, inviting Djokovic to serve out wide on the deuce side and come in for the easy put away. Even worse, in rallies, Medvedev was just hitting straight back to his rival, mostly cross court. The Medvedev of the semi-final was going down the lines, changing direction of the ball. Not this one, however. It was as if Djokovic had programmed him himself.

The second set lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes. Medvedev was going down the line now. He was chasing down every ball. Serving well. Djokovic seemed to be tiring, which is not even worth mentioning.

Medvedev had set point but Djokovic went up a gear, coming to the net where he seemed to know exactly what to do while his rival floundered, hitting balls at Djokovic’s waiting racket rather than find the empty space.

In the third set, Djokovic broke for 3-2 only to be broken back in the next game. The fightback was short-lived – Djokovic broke back and went on to take the match.

Medvedev said after the match he’d been too stubborn. His coach even lost his temper, shouting at him when he got broke in the third.

Djokovic now has 24 slams, and four at the USO. The Djokovic era isn’t ending anytime soon. He’s strong from the back and his down the line shots are heavy. He can change direction at exactly the right moment. He’s consistent, to put it mildly. His serve is both powerful and well placed. He can volley. His point construction is unrivalled. He has experience and is not afraid of gamesmanship, Most of all, he doesn’t fear winning.

It’s unfortunate for his rivals. And for those of us who were hoping the takeover had arrived.

Coco Gauff must have been listening to the audio book of Brad Gilbert’s Winning Ugly in her sleep ever since she hired him.

Because her final versus Sabalenka was one of the ugliest women’s slam final anyone ever did see.

Today, I had to watch the Hingis Vs Graf RG final replay to detox.

Gauff, herself, said in her press interview it wasn’t the way she wants to play, either. The American had to be a backboard as she set about assisting Sabalenka in her implosion, the incumbent no.1 hitting 47 errors over 3 sets.

Some of those errors were down to Gauff’s tracking talents, but many of them were outright fluffs from the Sabalenka racket.

Neither woman played well in the first set, but the Belorussian played the least worse as her attacking game and Gauff’s nerves worked in her favor.

Once Gauff got the break early in the second, the rot set in. Gauff improved, being consistent and athletic, and Sabalenka crumbled in a rubble of shrieks and errors. One eyesore rally after another came our way, and I for one was glad when it was over.

Matters did improve in the final few games. Sabalenka fought back early in the third when Gauff got the break. She even kept the ball in play. Gauff had to be a bit more creative and come forward and force the play herself.

An MTO added some more spice. Sabalenka called it and had a pleasant thigh massage as Gauff had time to think about what she was on the verge of.

Gauff came through, her thoughts clear and confident, winning the final couple of games to take her first slam title and join an elite list of teenage champions.

Ugly or not, a win is a win, and that’s the point of Gilbert’s book – you don’t have to be playing brilliant tennis to get the victory. Gauff has the right game for that because she can run and run and run and she can keep the ball in play, and even add a little spice to it. Sabalenka can play ugly but she can’t really win ugly because her game is so high risk.

Gauff doesn’t have a game that makes you wax lyrical about its power or beauty. It’s a variation of the Wozniacki game. It’s admirable and clever and lures you in. How did she do that, you ask, as her more powerful opponent drops yet another game.

Personally, it’s not for me. I will tune it, though. It’s always interesting to watch such players bring down a Swiatek, a Sabalenka or a Rybakina. Those 3 players have such clear master plans, their patterns of play predictable but devastating. The Gauffs of the world complicate things, put bugs in the code.

It may not be pretty. It may, in fact, be very ugly. It does win slams, all the same.

Medvedev gave, in his words, ‘a 12 out of 10’ performance to knock out defending champion in four sets.

Medvedev edged a close first set on a tiebreak.

The second set was Medvedev at his very best. He won it 6-1. Not bad for a guy who had been trounced by the Spaniard in their previous matches this season.

Medvedev dropped the third but managed to win the fourth and make his third US Open final (’19, ’21 and now ’23).

This result was both a nice surprise but a tad disappointing. I was hoping for an Alcaraz takeover but the Djokovic era looks set to continue.

Djokovic made the final, defeating Shelton in straights. The most interesting thing about that match was Djokovic mimicking Shelton’s phone hang up gesture.