Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz ruled the ATP Tour, splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them. The WTA season saw multiple standouts, even as Aryna Sabalenka held firm at world No. 1. Against that backdrop, Daria Kasatkina made waves by boldly calling out men’s tennis, pointing to the Alcaraz–Sinner dominance as her defining example.

During a conversation with the Australian Open, the 28-year-old shared her views on match quality across the professional tour. She compared entertainment levels between men’s and women’s tennis. 

Kasatkina openly acknowledged the backlash she expected. She said, “I’ll get a lot of criticism for this, but I don’t care, because I think in the last few Grand Slams, women’s matches were more interesting than men’s.” The remark immediately challenged a long-standing debate in tennis.

She then explained why men’s matches often dominate public memory. “Because men play best of five in the finals, only because of the last match, they remember that,” she added. 

Kasatkina referenced the 2025 French Open men’s final. The match featured world No. 1 Jannik Sinner against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. It became one of the most talked-about matches of the season.

That final lasted five hours and 29 minutes. It set a new Open Era record as the longest Roland Garros men’s final. Alcaraz won 4–6, 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(3), 7–6(2) in a dramatic finish.

Kasatkina said the match was exceptional but misleading. She felt it distorted how people judged the entire tournament. In her view, one epic final should not define overall match quality.

She explained the key difference between formats. “The final is a very specific tennis match, where if you lose the first set and you play best of three, and you start losing in the second, most probably the match is over.” She then added, “Where on the men’s side, if you play best of five, you lost two sets in a row, you still got a chance.”

When asked about women playing best of five, she focused on logistics. She made it clear that fitness was not the issue. “I mean, if we had best of five for the girls, what we have to… Like the tournaments are going to be one month?” she said.

She continued by questioning viewer demand. “Girls can play best of five. But the thing is, audience, are they want to watch matches best of five sets? I mean, it’s difficult, except for the final of a slam… People are getting tired of watching this… Is it worth it? I don’t know.” 

Even Kasatkina is not alone, as others also see men’s tennis increasingly dominated by Alcaraz and Sinner.

Coco Gauff questions whether Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance benefits men’s tennis

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated the 2025 men’s season. Together, they won 12 tour-level titles. They also shared all four Grand Slam trophies for the second straight year, underlining their control of the ATP Tour.

The women’s Grand Slam season told a different story. Four different champions lifted major titles in 2025. Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka each triumphed on the sport’s biggest stages.

Even before Daria Kasatkina’s comments, Coco Gauff expressed a similar view. Speaking to Sky Sports in November, she welcomed variety at the top. “I think it’s honestly great to have four different champions. All the girls have had a competitive year.”

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Gauff explained why unpredictability matters. “I think that it makes the sport more exciting when there are multiple chances for something to happen,” she said. Her focus remained on entertainment and long-term interest.

She then addressed men’s tennis directly. “Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner] are being great. There’s talk about there needing to be a third person to make it more interesting.” She added, “I think it’s better to have different champions than the same two.”

However, former WTA player Andrea Petkovic offered another perspective. Speaking to Eurosport, she argued women’s tennis has shown longer dominance. “Among the women, there are three absolute top stars who have almost divided the Grand Slam tournaments among themselves in the past five or six years – namely Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.”

With debate growing around dominance and depth, attention now turns to the future. Who can challenge the Alcaraz–Sinner duopoly next season? Share your pick in the comments below!