Carlos Alcaraz pinpoints Zverev and Auger-Aliassime as players he was impressed with in 2025

Carlos Alcaraz sits ahead of everyone in 2025. He won the most titles on the ATP Circuit and ends the year in the number one spot. Only Jannik Sinner can be compared to the talented Spaniard, with the competition slacking behind. That does not mean there is some players Alcaraz is impressed with, specifically Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The duo had been competing with Alcaraz recently in the ATP Finals. While the eight best tennis players in the world were there locking horns, the final outcome was very predictable. Alcaraz and Sinner once more in 2025 met in a final. The pair enjoyed an immense tussle in Turin, but it would be the reigning champion Sinner to taste glory on home soil.

At first Alcaraz did not put a name forward, implying the dominance him and Sinner have had this season. “I don’t know, obviously, we can see the rankings, the points,” Alcaraz stated in a press conference. “Jannik and I, we were above everyone else, but every year is kind of different. There is a pre-season between seasons, which, that month of practising, you can get better in every aspect of your game, physically, tennis-wise. This year is going to be totally different, probably another player will step up to catch us up, and play really good tennis and win things. I don’t know, we will see.”

He would then pick out the world number three Zverev and the inform Auger-Aliassime as players who have played well this year, with them possibly ready to threat going into next year.

“For example, Felix [Auger-Aliassime] is playing great, or has finished playing great tennis, Zverev is always a player who comes back really strong about everything," Alcaraz acknowledged. "I think he knows what he has to do for next season. There are a few other players who are always really dangerous too, and we have to be really focused on them. I think it’s going to be a really interesting year that we are going to have ahead of us.”

There is no denying the class and quality Zverev possesses on a tennis court. He boasts an Olympic gold medal and two ATP Finals titles, among a plethora of big titles accumulated throughout the years. However, his recent form is not up to scratch of what it once was. He has been unable to deliver the big performances once fans were accustomed to.

He started the year well, reaching the Australian Open final. He was then derailed by Sinner in a straight sets defeat, another Grand Slam final not going his way. Aside from a title at the Bavarian Championships in April, there was not much to talk about. His form picked up at the end of the year as he reached three Masters 1000 semi-finals from the final four events. In two of these, he lost out to Alcaraz and Sinner. The most recent one came in the Paris Masters last four tie against the 24-year-old where he managed just one game. against the eventual champion. He also lost against him in the Vienna Open final and ATP Finals group stage.

He also lost out to Auger-Aliassime who confirmed his spot in the semi-finals in his second participation in the event. He really impressed in the final stages of the year. This started at the US Open where he made a run to the semi-finals. In the end, Sinner was too strong for him. His form continued to be at a high level, picking up a title in the European Open before reaching the Paris Masters final. His final match of the year came in the ATP Finals semi-final. Both matches results in defeats to Sinner and Alcaraz respectively. The Canadian has failed to beat either of them since 2022. This shows despite Alcaraz highlighting them for a good season, they are not at the level yet to challenge him or Sinner on a consistent basis.