'I'm not in my prime': Carlos Alcaraz fires confident warning to rivals

Carlos Alcaraz thinks he is playing the best tennis of his career, but feels his level will get even better in the coming years.

Before 2025, the 22-year-old was already a worldwide star after winning titles at the 2022 US Open, the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2024 French Open, establishing him as one of the best young athletes worldwide.

Alcaraz has not just gained fans with his statistical achievements. His playing style is among the most complete and electric ever seen in tennis, enthralling spectators at tournaments worldwide.

Despite his age and exceptional feats, Alcaraz's level was often described as inconsistent, especially in comparison to Jannik Sinner, who finished far ahead of the Spaniard as the ATP year-end No. 1 in 2024.

Alcaraz ended any accusations of inconsistency with his results since the 2025 clay-court swing began. He has reached the final of his last nine tournaments (excluding the Laver Cup), winning seven of them. This included Grand Slam triumphs at the French Open and the US Open.

Overcoming Sinner, his most significant rival by far, in the US Open final saw him overtake the Italian. Sinner had been at the summit for 15 months before being surpassed by the man who has beaten him in seven of their last eight ATP matches.

Alcaraz and Sinner will meet in another final on Saturday at the 2025 Six Kings Slam. This year's Wimbledon winner beat his younger rival in the 2024 final, but it was not added to their official head-to-head because of its status as an exhibition.

The six-time Grand Slam winner spoke confidently to Netflix ahead of that contest after beating Taylor Fritz. When asked by Feliciano Lopez whether this is the best version of him fans have seen, Alcaraz said yes, but believes he will get even better.

Alcaraz has been the best player in 2025, and Sinner is the only man playing at a similar level to him. All other players must make significant improvements to have any hope of competing with them for Grand Slams.

If the worldwide fan favorite gets even better, it might be impossible for anyone outside of Sinner to challenge him. Although they have dominated tennis since the start of 2024, Sinner's record against Alcaraz shows he already finds it tough to handle him at his best.

The 38-year-old Novak Djokovic's level at his age remains outstanding, and he reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in 2025. However, the Serbian legend has acknowledged that it is already tough for him to compete with Alcaraz and Sinner and that it will get even harder.

A few years ago, some fans thought Holger Rune would consistently challenge for Grand Slams, but that has not happened yet. The Dane could become a wasted talent if he does not make improvements.