Who is the next player to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner? Kyle Edmund puts forward Jack Draper: "You need weapons to beat these guys, and he had that"

For the last few years the question on the tip of everyone's tongue is who will step up and challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the ATP Tour. For the time being, it is still unanswered although not for the want of trying. A damaging injury for Jack Draper has costed him the chance of consistently participating with the elite, but he has been backed on ability by fellow Brit Kyle Edmund to challenge at the top once more.

Ranked as high as world number four, Draper's rise was incredible in 2025. Coming off the back of a US Open semi-final that saw him climb into the top 20, he would win the Indian Wells title, defeating Alcaraz on the way, while reaching the final of the Madrid Open, showcasing his versatility on different surfaces along with the vast skillset on court.

Touted by many to be the one to challenge the top two, any dreams of that happening in the near future have been extinguished in heartbreaking fashion. An arm injury picked up at Wimbledon 2025 saw Draper miss virtually eight months of action, only returning to the ATP Tour a couple of weeks ahead of his Indian Wells title defence.

Since then, appearances have been sparse. Odd glimpses including the win against Novak Djokovic in California and the semi-final run in Eastbourne after little tennis played showed what kind of a talent he is, but a lack of time on court has seen him ranked outside of the top 100 with a lot of work to do. He will hope to find some form at the Canadian Open after being offered a wildcard, with Terence Atmane his first task.

In an episode of Beyond the Numbers, four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier pitched the question to Edmund. Sticking with his British compatriot, the former professional was gleaming with praise for Draper.

“I think the guy who’s got that level on their day is Draper," he answered. "It’s hard to know right now where he stands because he needs to spend some consistent time on court, but before, he had the ability and the game. That actual power and danger. Weapons. You need weapons to beat these guys, and he had that. So it’s a shame that he’s not here but I believe he has that."

A lot of big names have tried and so far failed to bridge the gap to Alcaraz and Sinner. This is shown by the sheer number of big titles the pair have won. This year along, Alexander Zverev's title at Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam or Masters 1000 title not won by either Alcaraz or Sinner. Between 2024 and 2025, all eight majors went the way of the duo with the last tournament for them to both compete in and not win coming at the 2024 Madrid Open. A spectacular stat, but an ominous one if you are a competitor.

Edmund noted a few more players who have tried, and so far come up short. “The other guys that have been knocking around for a while, like Felix [Auger-Aliassime], are close. Rublev has been around for a while. De Minaur is missing something, which, you know, he’s the type of player who will be working extremely hard on that."

Maybe one of the younger talents will be the next to make a name for themselves. “I think lower down, for me, the guys I’ve seen that have that potential are [Joao] Fonseca and [Rafael] Jodar. They seem really exciting. They can build those weapons. Once they get a bit more experience, tour experience, week in, week out travelling, I think they can prove dangerous for the future.”

A player Edmund did not name was talented Frenchman Arthur Fils who has also had his fair share of injury troubles. “I agree with all of those. I’m gonna throw in Arthur Fils as well. He has just put Goran Ivanisevic on his team, so his serve is going to improve," Courier commented.

“We know Goran improves everybody’s serve by lowering their ball toss and giving them better rhythm, so expect that to come. He moves great. He’s got a bomb forehand. He had the fastest forehand on tour last year in 2025."

A huge factor in it is health, and another top player who has not fitted that bill in 2026 is Lorenzo Musetti after a magnificent 2025 campaign. "Again, we need some of these young guys to be healthy. It might be Musetti, who had some deep runs too. He’s another guy who is just beautiful to watch. On the clay, we could easily see him winning a couple of Roland Garros [titles]. He plays well on grass too.”

So that question still remains to be answered. Whether it will be in the near future is hard to tell. Alcaraz and Sinner may continue to get better or the influx of talent coming through could spring up a surprise.