John McEnroe believes men's tennis is entering a new era, but it's missing one key ingredient — a third superstar to stand alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, forming the next generation's version of the iconic 'Big Three'.
For nearly two decades, the sport was dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. But with Federer and Nadal now retired and Djokovic showing signs of decline, Alcaraz and Sinner have clearly stepped into the spotlight. Alcaraz has already secured three Grand Slam titles — two Wimbledons and a US Open — and recently added the French Open to his collection. Sinner, on the other hand, has clinched the Australian Open and the US Open.
As Wimbledon kicks off on June 30, both players are favourites to win, but McEnroe wonders who might challenge their dominance. He recalled how Djokovic once fought to match the levels of Federer and Nadal, and hopes a similar figure might rise now.
McEnroe pointed to three young players as possible contenders: Ben Shelton (22), Jakub Mensik (19), and João Fonseca (18).
Shelton, currently ranked 10th in the world, reached the 2025 Australian Open semi-final and has been steadily improving. Mensik made headlines by defeating Djokovic in straight sets at the Miami Open — a significant achievement at such a young age. Fonseca had a breakthrough by beating Andrey Rublev in straight sets during his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, showing promise despite some inconsistency since.
While McEnroe praised Alcaraz's historic comeback win in the French Open final — where he saved three match points and turned around a two-set deficit — he also noted there's a clear "void" in the competition.
He concluded by reflecting on the sheer level of talent and speed in the modern game: "It was unheard of what we have watched over the last 20 years... and you can make the argument that what we're seeing now is even faster and different." Still, unless new rivals rise quickly, Alcaraz and Sinner look poised to dominate the next phase of men’s tennis.
