Alcaraz vs. Draper:
A simmering clash of contemporaries

After meeting once in each of the past three years, young stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper have played three times in 2025 to spark their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

Great Britain’s Draper fought Alcaraz close at the start of their Australian Open meeting before fading and ultimately retiring with a hip problem. In a rematch in the Indian Wells semi-finals, Draper gained a measure of revenge with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 victory filled with wild momentum swings en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.

Alcaraz admitted to being worried about Draper’s complete and powerful game during the match, which affected his own performance in Indian Wells.

The Spaniard did not have to wait long for revenge, though. Two months later on the clay in Rome, Alcaraz shut down Draper with a 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory, underpinned by high aggression and smart shotmaking.

With the Briton reaching a career-high World No. 5, Alcaraz and Draper are set to be facing off in the biggest stages for years to come.

Sinner vs. Alcaraz: Rivalry rekindled in Rome

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have forged one of the most electrifying rivalries of the 21st century. A captivating clash of youth, power and precision, their matches have enthralled fans across the globe. With dazzling athleticism and fearless ball-striking, the Italian and the Spaniard have produced a series of unforgettable battles, the latest of which unfolded in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final in Rome.

In their first meeting of the year, the drama was immediate. Alcaraz clawed his way back from the brink in the first, saving two set points in a tense opening set before unleashing his full arsenal in a dominant second, sealing a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory. The triumph not only delivered Alcaraz his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title but also halted Sinner’s scorching 26-match winning streak — one that had started in Shanghai, following a defeat to Alcaraz in last year’s Beijing final.

The win marked Alcaraz’s 19th tour-level title, drawing him level with Sinner for the most among players born in the 2000s, a testament to the razor-thin margins and sheer competitiveness of their rivalry. As the match ended with a moment of brilliance — a stretch-volley Alcaraz winner following a masterful drop shot — Alcaraz and Sinner shared a warm embrace at the net, a fitting gesture between two titans whose battles are defining a new era in men’s tennis.

Djokovic vs. Berrettini: A late Italian breakthrough

After four Lexus ATP Head2Head defeats to Djokovic from 2019-21, Matteo Berrettini earned his first win against the Serbian this year in Doha. The 2024 ATP Comeback Player of the Year approached his vintage best with 23 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and 19 forehand winners to earn his first Top 10 victory in more than two years.

Vindicating the hard work that went into his comeback from an injury-riddled 2023 season, the Doha victory proved that the 29-year-old could still beat the ATP Tour’s best. Djokovic admitted Berrettini was the better player on the day, saying the Italian “played a master class match”.

Bergs vs. Borges: Near-namesakes put friendship to the side

Good friends and doubles partners earlier this season in Marseille, Zizou Bergs and Nuno Borges have been on opposite sides of the net three times this year. Belgium’s Bergs won all three of those Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, in Auckland, Marseille and Miami, requiring three sets in his first two victories.

The Top 50 talents had never before met on the ATP Tour, but have developed a friendly rivalry amidst their 2025 encounters. While Portugal’s Borges has been ranked higher in the PIF ATP Rankings in each match, he can’t seem to crack the Belgian Bergs’ code.

Borges remains just ahead of Bergs in the PIF ATP Rankings: As of 21 May, he is No. 41 to Bergs’ No. 49.

Fonseca vs. Tien: Next Gen is now

In a rivalry of contrasting styles but similar ages, 18-year-old Joao Fonseca and 19-year-old Learner Tien have become intimately familiar with each other’s games in recent months. 

After squaring off twice at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December, including in the showpiece final, the young stars met again at the Miami ATP Masters 1000. Brazil’s Fonseca has won all three of those Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, but his American rival took a set in each one.

Their Miami meeting came on the heels of hot starts to 2025 for both: The big-hitting Fonseca won his first ATP Tour title in February in Buenos Aires, while the crafty Tien made a splash by reaching the Australian Open fourth round as a qualifier, beating Daniil Medvedev in five sets along the way.

Despite the Miami match being played on U.S. soil, it was Fonseca who received the lion’s share of support in a raucous environment created by boisterous Brazilian fans. Overcoming both dizziness and cramp, Fonseca clung to an early break in the final set to see home a 6-7(1), 3-6, 6-4 victory after nearly two-and-a-half hours of intensely physical tennis. For the third time in four months, Fonseca’s heavy hitting found a way through the pin-point accuracy and brick-wall defence of Tien.

“Everywhere I go, there are some Brazilians watching me,” Fonseca said. “That is super nice and it is great to represent my country and I love Brazil. It is super nice that everywhere I go I can see some Brazilians, some people with the Brazil shirt. I just feel at home. In Miami it was a super huge crowd and even the players made some jokes like ‘Are we in Brazil?’.

Zverev vs. Griekspoor: Deciding-set Drama

After five consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head defeats to Alexander Zverev — including a heartbreaker last year at Roland Garros, in which he let slip a two-break lead in the fifth set — Tallon Griekspoor was feeling the weight of momentum pushing against him. Zverev won a decisive tie-break in that Paris third-round thriller, and in their next meeting claimed a third-set tie-break in Shanghai.

This year at Indian Wells, it was Girekspoor’s turn to snatch a dramatic victory. After three hours and eight minutes of topsy-turvy tennis, he emerged with a 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) result that sent him to his knees in celebration.

"Indian Wells against Zverev was an exciting match from my side. A very mental match," Griekspoor said. "I lost to him a couple of heartbreakers the year before. At Roland Garros I was a double break up in the fifth and let it out of my hands. In Indian Wells I felt it was a very mental match."

But one month later, Zverev took his chance for revenge with an equally tense 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory on home soil Munich, where he went on to win the title. After six meetings since March of 2024, the German leads the overall series 7-2. Just one of their past five meetings has been decided in straight sets.