The "Big Four" era has passed

In 2009, Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Roger Federer, the world number one at that time, in the US Open final to win the title when he was 21. Fifteen years later, another 21-year-old player, defeated the world number one in the China Open final after losing the opening set. That player was the Spaniard Alcaraz. This victory not only brought Alcaraz his 16th ATP Tour title, but also made him become the first player to win an ATP 500 title on all three surfaces (hard, clay, grass) since the series was launched in 2009.

With the victory in the China Open championship, Carlos Alcaraz won his fourth ATP crown of the year. The champion's place was confirmed after a dramatic victory over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a final that lasted 3 hours and 21 minutes, the longest match in the history of the tournament. In the final, Alcaraz lost the benefit after losing the opening set when Sinner beat him 7-6. However, he collected the confidence and brought Alcaraz victory in the next two sets. Especially in the final tie-break, when Alcaraz was 3-0 down, but with a strong will and not giving up, Alcaraz turned the tables, scoring seven consecutive points to win. After the match, Sinner shared: "These kinds of matches make us push each other to the limit and help me realize what I still need to improve." Currently, Alcaraz and Sinner are racing on the road to the throne of the Shanghai Master 2024 vs Novak Djokovic - the only one in the old "Big Four".

Thus, the "Big Four" were Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, now only "Big One" Novak Djokovic, continuing the journey to compete at the top. These competitions of Djokovic, Alcaraz vs Sinner on the charts are becoming more and more worth watching in the tennis world. Moreover, matches like the China Open final will make both Alcaraz and Sinner more and more complete and improve continuously, deserving to replace the "Big Four" era.