🎾 Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud
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The beginning of the season 2026 It opens up multiple truly interesting questions and narratives within world tennis. We live in periods of very marked kings and queens, with power that is distributed in very few hands: in men’s tennis, Carlos Alcaraz y Jannik Sinner have monopolized the Grand Slams in the last two seasons, while in the female season, although there has been greater variety, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek also start with a higher favoritism than the rest of the main actresses.
For all this, it is not at all easy to draw up a list that looks at potential new Grand Slam champions: If we go strictly to what the ATP refers to, a total dominance of two players who seem to share the cake as they please has been established in men’s tennis, and their great competitor is someone who knows very well what it means to succeed on big stages (Novak Djokovic). Despite this, names like Alexander Zverev o Ben Shelton They appear as clear candidates on a list with more crumbs than anyone might think.
Alexander Zverev (#3 ATP):
While people lose faith over the years, the German is dangerously approaching thirty without yet winning a Grand Slam. Every year we seem to tell the same story, but it is difficult to see a contemporary, excluding Alcaraz and Sinner, who is equally constant and regular throughout the entire season. His role aims to be increasingly limited, but his blows earn him a place in this category for another year, although he will have to demonstrate his hunger and renewed physical condition throughout the Australian tour.
Ben Shelton (#8 ATP)
Due to his self-confidence, personality and bravery, few oppose so strongly to launching his great record than a Shelton who has signed a 2025 of many lights and few shadows. Its evolution in many aspects of the game is palpable, although there are still areas where there is immense room for improvement. His ability to work in the transition game and have more plans in addition to solving points in a couple of shots are the issues that limit him, but his age, explosiveness and character make him someone to always take into account.
Alex de Miñaur (#6 ATP)
His path to reaching his first Grand Slam seems the antithesis of Ben himself: work, work and more work. Silent improvements to elevate his tennis to levels he never knew before: that’s how Demon has sneaked into the top-10 after years of work. His faith and belief in himself seems to limit him in big events more than his own game, but if we talk about regularity, physicality and consistency, few (beyond Jannik and Carlos) endure the demands of a Grand Slam better than him. He only needs that big victory in a Major, but if it comes, he will be very high on the list of candidates.
Casper Ruud (#12 ATP)
The candidate with the most Grand Slam finals on the list (along with Zverev) starts his 27 years with the feeling of having slightly changed his role on the circuit. Previously a champion of consistency, now a man of spectacular weeks and somewhat surprising defeats. At the ranking and career level? A change for the worse, without a doubt. When it comes to being dangerous in a Grand Slam? Maybe it will be good for him: if he shows the game of weeks like Madrid or Stockholm in 2025 in a designated week, especially at Roland Garros (few more substantial clay specialists we will find on the circuit), perhaps he will find lately what he came so close to three seasons ago.
Joao Fonseca (#29 ATP)
Yes, I know, some will be wanting to give a big blow for this choice, but there is no player younger than the current dominators who has shown such a huge ceiling as the Brazilian. Withstanding the pressure of going far in a Slam is a pending issue, but his evolution is reminiscent of Carlos Alcaraz in 2021… and we already know what happened the following year. Will it happen with Fonseca? Due to the duopoly established, unlike 2022 that Alcaraz experienced (a much more transitional moment), it seems almost unthinkable… but, sometimes, the best talents do not understand cooking and jump the limits of logic. If an unexpected candidate must be added, at least it should be someone who aims to be part of the shortlist of favorites in the long term.
