5 stars who can challenge Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner's dominance and why, according to Patrick Mouratoglou ft. Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the 2025 season, splitting the four Major titles. The Italian won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while the Spaniard clinched the French and the US Open titles.

The World Nos. 1 and 2 have often been compared to the Big Three: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, in light of their extraordinary achievements at such a young age.

While the two have established a stranglehold on the Majors, famed tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes a few players can challenge their dominance in the near future.

Mouratoglou, who has coached many notable WTA and ATP stars, including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Holger Rune, named five players he thinks can give the duo a run for their money.

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#1 Ben Shelton

Ben Shelton started the 2025 season ranked No. 21 and has made a massive leap to No. 6. The 22-year-old won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto last month, marking an overall successful season, despite a shoulder injury that cut his US Open run short.

"He's exciting to watch, he fills stadiums, and when he plays, things happen," Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn. "His serve and forehand are incredible, and being left-handed gives him another advantage. He already has two key pieces of the complete package, but he needs to improve his movement and turn his backhand into a real weapon...to compete with Carlos and Jannik."

The American is eyeing a return to action at the Shanghai Masters in October.

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#2 Felix Auger-Aliassime

One of the biggest surprises at the US Open was Felix Auger-Aliassime, who ousted top players to make the semifinals. As the 25th seed, he defeated the No. 3 seed, Alexander Zverev, Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev en route to the last four. The Canadian was ultimately defeated in the semifinals by Sinner.

Mouratoglou believes there is more to come from Auger-Aliassime and hopes he can tighten up his backhand, his biggest weakness.

"His serve, forehand, and movement are fantastic," Mouratoglou wrote. "He's also improved his backhand, but he still needs to turn it into a real strength. In today's tennis, you can't afford a weakness. If Felix develops that backhand further, he can be a top-five player and compete at the highest level."

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#3 Joao Fonseca

Joao Fonseca announced his arrival on the ATP Tour by taking out Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open. Additionally, his success in the Challenger tournaments in Canberra and Phoenix has made him a player to watch in the years to come.

Mouratoglou heaped praise on the young Brazilian but said he still has a lot to learn to reach the level of top players.

"He has enormous potential, with no real weaknesses in his game. Both groundstrokes are very strong, he serves well, he moves well, and most importantly, he has a lot of desire, but you have to be patient. He's still young, still learning, and needs to climb the rankings little by little before becoming a real threat."

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#4 Holger Rune

Holger Rune established himself as a growing threat to Alcaraz when he defeated the Spaniard to clinch the Barcelona Open title in April. Even though Rune's run in the Majors this season was not rewarding, Mouratoglou stated that the Dane has all the tools to be a real threat.

Mouratoglou, who coached Rune briefly from 2022 to 2023 and again for a short while in 2024, believes the Dane needs to work on his emotions.

"He has what it takes: a huge forehand, a powerful backhand, a great serve, incredible movement, and a lot of desire to win, but right now he lacks stability and consistency. Sometimes his emotions get the better of him, and that can cost him matches. If he fixes that, he'll be at the top."

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#5 Jack Draper

Jack Draper had a promising start to the 2025 season, with a title in Indian Wells, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. Additionally, he reached the final in Madrid; however, he was unable to make an impact at the Grand Slam level.

Mouratoglou lauded Draper's development, but urged him to find a way to stay healthy.

"Jack has made a lot of progress, winning Indian Wells and reaching the final in Madrid. His backhand is no longer a weakness and he's very motivated, but his problem is his physique. He's constantly injured, which prevents him from gaining momentum. If he stays healthy, he has the qualities to be a contender."

Draper withdrew from the Six Kings Slam and will be unavailable for most of the remaining season due to a hand injury.