“Imagine me being friends with McEnroe or Lendl”: Boris Becker says Alcaraz–Sinner bond is changing the sport

The 2025 ATP Finals in Turin culminates in the season's most anticipated final: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz versus World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, the defending champion. Both players powered through the group stage and semi-finals with unblemished 4-0 records, underscoring their elite status in men's tennis.

The 6-time major champion Boris Becker analyzed in the preview the paradigm shift regarding the dominant rivalry on the ATP Tour. Unlike previous decades, Becker noted the good relationship Alcaraz and Sinner maintain off the court in an interview with Gazzetta Italy. "In our time, we weren't friends. That didn't exist. Imagine me being friends with McEnroe or Lendl... impossible. I got along well with Stefan Edberg, I respected him a lot, but it wasn't like now,"

The German former World No. 1 attributes this positive evolution in sportsmanship to the preceding generation, noting, "In my opinion, the subject of friendship between rivals changed with Federer and Nadal. They transformed the way two great opponents treat each other, and that was a good thing: an excellent example for young people."

This Sunday’s match will be their sixth final of the year, with Alcaraz currently holding a 4-1 advantage in those championship clashes during 2025. Furthermore, the Spaniard leads their overall head-to-head 10-5 and has clinched seven of their last eight meetings, positioning this final as a battle of psychological edge versus home-court advantage.

This defining rivalry—which saw the two leaders of the Tour split the Grand Slam titles for the second consecutive year and amass 13 total trophies during 2025—is central to tennis’s continued success. “I think it is wonderful that Sinner and Alcaraz have this chemistry off the court: you can feel the great mutual respect, they get along well, and they have no problem doing things together. However, on the court, they are fierce rivals. It is a positive role model for the new generation."

The prevalence of the dominant serve has long been a contentious topic in tennis, recently raised by Rafael Nadal’s former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, who suggested the sport risks becoming "boring." He argued that tennis is the only sport that begins with a "penalty"—the serve—and that changes, such as shrinking the size of the rackets, should be considered to reduce the server's advantage. Becker, however, offered a strong counter-argument.

“I respect Toni [Nadal] very much, but I don't agree on this. I think tennis is experiencing a global boom; it has never been as popular as it is now. And this is thanks to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic: those three have brought tennis to another planet. Alcaraz and Sinner are keeping it up there."

Becker believes the sport's current unprecedented popularity contradicts the need for radical rules changes to slow the serve. While he acknowledged the brilliance of the top two players, he voiced a desire for the competition to broaden: "What I would like to see next year is a few other players win the Slams. So far, it has been almost only Jannik and Carlos, and this says a lot about them, but it would be nice to see others enter the winners' circle."

Becker specifically pointed to a technical adjustment in one of the finalists as an example of a player mastering the current game's demands, rather than suggesting the game itself is flawed. The German believes Sinner's coaching team found the necessary fix to elevate the Italian to his peak level.

"I think Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill have done a fantastic job after the US Open to improve the serve of Jannik. In the summer, that was the shot he lacked, especially in the New York final: in my opinion, Alcaraz was the better player, but also the better server. The service is the only shot where the opponent doesn't participate, it is totally in your hands."

Beyond the tactical shifts, Sinner's consistency this year has been historic, a fact Becker feels has been overshadowed. "The fact that Sinner has reached the final in all four Grand Slams has gone somewhat under the radar. It is an incredible achievement,” assured the former German coach. “He lost Paris and New York, but being in the final of four Majors in a row—in reality five, if we count the US Open from the previous year—is something extraordinary, and it is not talked about enough."

Looking forward, Becker is convinced the current top two will continue to dominate the landscape. "For next year, the question mark is always the same: will Sinner and Alcaraz still dominate? They are young, they are still very hungry, and, at the moment, I struggle to see anyone who can change this scenario."