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Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2025 BY
* THE NEW YORKER * NPR * TOWN & COUNTRY *
The story of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and their epic rivalry, as told by "the best tennis writer in America" (Brian Phillips, The Ringer).
For more than two decades, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer dominated men’s tennis so thoroughly that it became difficult to imagine how the game would keep its shine once they retired.
Then came 2024—the first year since 2002 that none of them won a Grand Slam tournament—and a technicolor future was revealed. The major titles were divided between a pair of prodigies in their early the effervescent showman Carlos Alcaraz, whose infinite variety of shots won him the French Open and Wimbledon; and the relentlessly cool Jannik Sinner, whose power and precision secured him the Australian Open and US Open even amid a doping controversy. Though other young contenders jostled for the spotlight, and Djokovic tried to hold his ground, the transcendentally gifted Alcaraz and Sinner just kept installing their new regime.
“Witty” (The Wall Street Journal), delivering “loads of insight” (The Washington Post), and rooted in a true fan’s love of the game, this “scintillating account” (Publishers Weekly) serves as a primer to the rivalry poised to define the next decade of the sport.
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2025 BY
* THE NEW YORKER * NPR * TOWN & COUNTRY *
The story of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and their epic rivalry, as told by "the best tennis writer in America" (Brian Phillips, The Ringer).
For more than two decades, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer dominated men’s tennis so thoroughly that it became difficult to imagine how the game would keep its shine once they retired.
Then came 2024—the first year since 2002 that none of them won a Grand Slam tournament—and a technicolor future was revealed. The major titles were divided between a pair of prodigies in their early the effervescent showman Carlos Alcaraz, whose infinite variety of shots won him the French Open and Wimbledon; and the relentlessly cool Jannik Sinner, whose power and precision secured him the Australian Open and US Open even amid a doping controversy. Though other young contenders jostled for the spotlight, and Djokovic tried to hold his ground, the transcendentally gifted Alcaraz and Sinner just kept installing their new regime.
“Witty” (The Wall Street Journal), delivering “loads of insight” (The Washington Post), and rooted in a true fan’s love of the game, this “scintillating account” (Publishers Weekly) serves as a primer to the rivalry poised to define the next decade of the sport.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2025
104 people are currently reading
850 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
May 29, 2025
A joy to read, if you're a tennis fan like me. As Nathan discusses in the book, the tennis media has shrunk alarmingly in the past 10-20 years, but even if it were more robust he'd surely still be the most beautiful writer covering the sport. Most of the actual information covered in this book was not new to me (I follow tennis pretty obsessively) but it was absolutely worth it for Nathan's descriptions of shots, movements, matches I had often already watched. The small moments where he observed the players in person, acting like... normal people, were striking and memorable, too.
I do wish some female players were getting book treatment like this—it's hard to deny the pizzazz of Alcaraz and Sinner, and I don't begrudge Christopher Clarey writing about Federer and Nadal (players I love too!), but I think the WTA is actually a lot more interesting. Maybe someone will write a book looking at some of their top players and the complex social issues facing the tour soon. That is not at all a critique of this book, which every tennis fan should read, just an observation about the media landscape.
I do wish some female players were getting book treatment like this—it's hard to deny the pizzazz of Alcaraz and Sinner, and I don't begrudge Christopher Clarey writing about Federer and Nadal (players I love too!), but I think the WTA is actually a lot more interesting. Maybe someone will write a book looking at some of their top players and the complex social issues facing the tour soon. That is not at all a critique of this book, which every tennis fan should read, just an observation about the media landscape.
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August 29, 2025an easy read on the 2024 season between sincaraz but not a ton of new information. i enjoyed the meddy chapter and anecdotes about the other players on tour. i think it was slightly skewed towards alcaraz but that is to be expected as this is how the general public also tilts
September 3, 2025
with the us open going on i had tennis on the mind (more specifically, sinner and alcaraz on the mind, as their sheer ability continues to blow my mind). and this book is a quick, fun, and surprisingly lyrical depiction of these two rivals’ rise from promising prospect to world no. 1 and 2, respectively.
it was quite well researched - nathan’s especially deft at choosing quotes and factoids that lean into the grandiosity of the whole affair, the shift of one the old dynasty to the new one - but what really impressed me here was the infectious energy in nathan’s voice.
this was written by someone who really fucking loves tennis. his heart bleeds into the pages, and you cant help but love it through his eyes. i found myself flying through this book, eager to learn more about the rivalry, its story lent an almost fated atmosphere due to nathan’s own excitement as well as his tendency to allude to the metaphysical.
it got me so damn bad i’m considering picking up a tennis racket! mind you i haven’t done such a thing since i was 6! anything with that kind of power is special! 5 stars for changeover!!!
it was quite well researched - nathan’s especially deft at choosing quotes and factoids that lean into the grandiosity of the whole affair, the shift of one the old dynasty to the new one - but what really impressed me here was the infectious energy in nathan’s voice.
this was written by someone who really fucking loves tennis. his heart bleeds into the pages, and you cant help but love it through his eyes. i found myself flying through this book, eager to learn more about the rivalry, its story lent an almost fated atmosphere due to nathan’s own excitement as well as his tendency to allude to the metaphysical.
it got me so damn bad i’m considering picking up a tennis racket! mind you i haven’t done such a thing since i was 6! anything with that kind of power is special! 5 stars for changeover!!!
November 14, 2025
I’m so frustrated! It’s clear Nathan is a master of the written word, but the story is woefully incomplete because this rivalry is literally still in its infancy. This would have been so much better if it was written 20 years from now.
You can’t accurately assess the state of the Alcaraz-Sinner relationship — which hasn’t really even existed for more than a year — by just chronicling the 2024 season, no matter how good of a writer you are.
I grew tired of the play-by-play and constant self insertion (we get it, you wish you were a player!) by like 2/3 of the way through. 3.5 stars just because he’s such a good writer.
You can’t accurately assess the state of the Alcaraz-Sinner relationship — which hasn’t really even existed for more than a year — by just chronicling the 2024 season, no matter how good of a writer you are.
I grew tired of the play-by-play and constant self insertion (we get it, you wish you were a player!) by like 2/3 of the way through. 3.5 stars just because he’s such a good writer.
August 15, 2025
Ok so. Giri gave me an advance copy and I immediately proceeded to tear through it. I’ve been reading at a slow pace all summer but this was the exception mostly bc I lowk couldn’t put it down?? I teared up multiple times and also actually laughed out loud at least once a chapter. So impressed by his descriptive skills, keen eye, and ability to humanize literally anyone. This simply brought me a lot of joy + I think it would do the same for anyone regardless of their familiarity with tennis
September 29, 2025
“There's a paradox in the friend-rival. On the one hand, it's hard to be close with someone with whom you are locked in zero-sum competition for all the prizes you most lust after in your career; on the other hand, there is no one else in the world who knows the pressures and predicaments at the top of the game, no one else who could relate as easily to the contours of your strange life.”
Overall, super interesting and well written!
Overall, super interesting and well written!
August 21, 2025
Nathan is able to vividly bring the matches he is describing into real life. It feels like you are sitting in the umpire’s chair as you read. Excellent foray into the life of two distinct yet strikingly similar world class athletes. Great read for the most casual to die hard of tennis fans!
October 27, 2025
4.5
This author loves Sinner and Alcaraz and tennis even more than I do which made this such an enjoyable read. Great book for anyone getting into tennis, or anyone like me who can’t get enough of it.
This author loves Sinner and Alcaraz and tennis even more than I do which made this such an enjoyable read. Great book for anyone getting into tennis, or anyone like me who can’t get enough of it.
February 19, 2026
There are occasional moments of good writing that could maybe evoke some of the best tennis writing you’ve read, when Nathan really zeroes in on a point or a moment, or makes you look at a player’s career (interestingly, mostly the side characters- as a Medvedev fan he captured a lot of what is likeable about him, and he does a good job with the dying embers of Novak’s character) in a different way or at least captures them in a beautiful way, but a lot of this feels like just an explainer/plot summary of what tennis fans are watching every week rather than something novel or consistently beautiful/insightful. Perhaps that is because this is really a blown up story of really two years into a book length form and the story has yet to be written in full (or even escape its infancy) and really develop its narrative as the players mature past their first forms and become more complex, simultaneously as rivals and as players and as people; I have a lot of Alcaraz and Sinner opinions and this mostly served to validate them rather than to expand on them or flip them on their head. In that sense, this probably works best for someone out there who’s heard the names before and maybe watched a Grand Slam final or two but doesn’t know all that much. Still, it’s readable on a single flight and it flies by and goes down easy; I would read another tennis book by this guy at some point down the line. Feels like there’s potential in here for him as well to rise to another level in the more zoomed out book realm (for what it’s worth, I do love a lot of his work at the Defector at the more match by match, tournament by tournament level)
February 3, 2026
i kind of rlly need giri nathan's updated thoughts on the rivalry industrial complex of it all bcus its ramped up even exponentially from the way he describes here. i would be curious to hear his thoughts too on alcaraz and sinner's own engagement in this as its developed, particularly as he does briefly touch on the ways athletes are in many ways a lot more independent and in control of the ways they engage in their own narratives rather than reliant on journalists (see: seoul exho this january they stay milking it). in some ways its hard not to feel how pre-emptive this book is - nathan even talks about missing out on getting to write about rg25 and wimbledon in an interview, and their games have both developed sm (sinner lobs and dropshots..) - but its also that exact limitation which makes this a pretty joyous read! it feels so knowingly + hopefully penultimate. plus, there are sure to be way more books abt them over the next decade or so, and retrospectives after that too, so i think to have something which is so focused in its scope on these particular moments before everything truly exploded is awesome
nathan's prose sometimes veers a little self-indulgent maybe but never in a way which makes it less enjoyable. it moreso feels like he's always trying to come up with new words and turns of phrases to describe movement, capture character, and he succeeds over and over again. i absolutely blitzed thru this - might be less interesting to ppl who have already closely followed these events themselves but theres a lovely dedication and such an excitement to the way nathan himself recounts the scenes and sketches the players, with a real empathetic and even humorous eye
i can't beleive this is the first book i finished this year. i mean i can bcus the writing is so great and its so interesting, but also i can't believe it. take this as a public psa that attending the australian open can be dangerous. i need to be put down. revive me when sinner gets his career gs in roland garros this june
nathan's prose sometimes veers a little self-indulgent maybe but never in a way which makes it less enjoyable. it moreso feels like he's always trying to come up with new words and turns of phrases to describe movement, capture character, and he succeeds over and over again. i absolutely blitzed thru this - might be less interesting to ppl who have already closely followed these events themselves but theres a lovely dedication and such an excitement to the way nathan himself recounts the scenes and sketches the players, with a real empathetic and even humorous eye
i can't beleive this is the first book i finished this year. i mean i can bcus the writing is so great and its so interesting, but also i can't believe it. take this as a public psa that attending the australian open can be dangerous. i need to be put down. revive me when sinner gets his career gs in roland garros this june
January 8, 2026
Entertaining and thorough. I learned a lot about the tour that I didn’t know, and the framing of this seems almost prescient after seeing the 2025 season.
October 31, 2025
Fun and light read. Alcaraz and Sinner are so likable. Interesting that Sinner was so under the radar for so long. Also interesting that their styles and personalities are so opposite. Good time to be a tennis fan!
January 1, 2026
Really good! An enjoyable, well-written, and engaging summary of Alcaraz and Sinner's ascension to the top of modern tennis. I really enjoyed Nathan's characterization of all the "side characters" too.
November 16, 2025
Not usually into sports writing/journalism but found this surprisingly entertaining
December 4, 2025
Giri is the best tennis writer in the game.
November 20, 2025
brilliant that’s what this is
September 28, 2025
4.5 stars. You can immediately tell that Nathan is a gifted tennis writer; he uses words I’ve never thought of before to describe a game that can be difficult to engage on the page (“fizzled” stains my memory). His portraits are forgiving yet precise and he translates what magic we see on the court into a language that makes you feel as though he’s invited you into the secret club. He is current, knowledgeable, and intimate all at once.
I am inspired by his creativity and passion for these people and their subject, but his narrative (especially match replays) could use a little more grounding in time for a stronger structure. Otherwise, this book kept me on the edge, anticipating not only the players’ but his every move, in awe of the nonfiction.
I am inspired by his creativity and passion for these people and their subject, but his narrative (especially match replays) could use a little more grounding in time for a stronger structure. Otherwise, this book kept me on the edge, anticipating not only the players’ but his every move, in awe of the nonfiction.
August 30, 2025
Writing (as in journalism) does not - or indeed, in most cases - equate literature, but this is one of those rare instances, perhaps especially in sports journalism, where it does. An unusually beautifully written account of a fascinating crossover between one of the greatest eras the sport has ever seen and the next, that promises and has already delivered so very much. As ever, it is always difficult to capture a dynamic reality in static writing, but in many ways it is prophetic - in 2025, Sinner and Alcaraz have captured all three Grand Slam tournaments thus far, played each other in two finals, and already established their rivalry - and friendship - that looks to be one for the ages.
September 4, 2025
Little by little, I had grown quite bored of tennis, until I started reading this book. Giri Nathan's masterpiece has made tennis great again for me. It is the best thing I've read this year so far, by far.
September 29, 2025
forever grateful for the game of tennis and the impact it’s had on my life.
“you never know. that’s why people love tennis. that’s why people get crazy watching tennis. that’s why we tennis players sometimes get crazy playing tennis”
“you never know. that’s why people love tennis. that’s why people get crazy watching tennis. that’s why we tennis players sometimes get crazy playing tennis”
September 15, 2025
Great insight into the landscape of tennis currently. 🎾
We are in the Sincaraz era but before that, we had the Big Three. Oh, and Meddy, I suppose 🐙 VAMOS & FORZA
We are in the Sincaraz era but before that, we had the Big Three. Oh, and Meddy, I suppose 🐙 VAMOS & FORZA
November 6, 2025
Top 2 tennis books I’ve ever read. Only read 2, but they were both really good.
November 20, 2025
This was really really good. Contextualizing the transition between The Big Three Era / the alleged Lost Generation / and Sincaraz was masterfully done. I especially liked the final chapter bringing it all together.
I've been a tennis fan for a long time-albeit a sporadic one. My first idols were the Williams sisters and then I went on to admire Federer's efforts on the ATP side of things. His style entertained me the most out of the Big Three so I watched him more but I think the most thrilling ATP match I personally watched live on tv was Nadal v. Djokovic at the 2012 Australian Open. My ability to keep up with the tours waned to the point that I tuned in mostly to watch Andy Murray's Wimbledon matches in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016 (his desire to win Wimbledon had captured my attention so much that I looked forward to his match just as much as Federer's!); Wawrinka v. Djokovic matches; and Serena Williams play at Wimbledon annually and some of her final games of her last year on tour.
I remember watching the Osaka v. Williams at the 2018 Us Open and the unfortunate racist tirades and art posted in the aftermath. I also remembered watching Osaka v. Gauff at the 2019 Us Open and the sweet exchange they had after the match. I took a pause from keeping up with tennis once again in 2022, Serena wasn't playing anymore and I hadn't really grown to admire another player's tennis in the same way as her and Federer just yet.
That changed with Coco Gauff's triumphant win at the Us Open 2023. I'd missed the Siegemund match but caught the highlights and the uproar online over Coco speaking up for herself was reminiscent of Serena's situation back in 2018. Luckily, Coco advanced to the final and I was able to catch the game live on tv and was overcome with such euphoric emotions watching Coco improve over the course of the match to clinch the win that it renewed my love for tennis that I'd admittedly lost a little bit.
This year I can say things changed again for me. I've watched more tennis matches and commentary than I have in the last five years of my life. I've also begun to use more technical terms related to the game as well. Reading this book affirmed the knowledge I'd gained in my personal time enjoying tennis as a fan and sharpened the rest of it. I can admit I've gotten lost trying to decipher the tennis speech of the commentators from US broadcasts over the years, with so many of them being former players - I often tuned out of their analytics and looked at match stats in confusion in the past. But not anymore!
It began when I learned that Madison Keys had finally won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. It was a blast from the past as I'd remembered fondly when she first broke out on the WTA tour alongside Sloane Stephens and Genie Bouchard. I was feeling nostalgic again. The week leading up to the Roland Garros finals, I'd started following tennis fans on twitter wanting to keep up more with the sport again and caught an amusing thread where hybrid fans of Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were hoping they'd both win Roland Garros, the same way they had both won the China Open together last year in 2024. I decided to check Carlos out too because of their optimism.
I happily watched Coco win her first Roland Garros title and second grand slam. I was so nervous after the first set that I had to take time away from watching the game and came back to her defeating Sabalenka in another major final with the third set.
And luckily those fans had led me in the right direction with the new generation of ATP players too, watching the Sinner v. Alcaraz match that following Sunday was quite transformative. I hadn't watched an ATP match in years. I'd chosen to root for Alcaraz after seeing those tweets and catching his highlights of defeating Djokovic not once but twice at Wimbledon. A pretty shallow reason perhaps but it was enough to pique my interest in him. My first thought seeing Sinner and hearing he was Italian was utter disbelief. He had to have been French or something, but no the red head was really Italian albeit from a Northern part that had been disputed over with neighboring Austria that I'd later learn watching his Forza documentary. Nathan's deft reporting illuminated the peculiar circumstances of even Italian media's reticence towards Sinner and his ancestry.
I'm a nervous and sometimes superstitious tennis watcher so I didn't watch the whole match. I stayed for the first set and would pause from time to time when I couldn't relax seeing Alcaraz fall behind despite his best efforts. When the commentator had mentioned that Carlos had never won after being 2 sets to love down, my mind was boggled. But like Coco had the day before, he triumphed from three championship points down to clinch the win in the super tiebreak. Knowing he'd fought so hard and won made me a huge fan. If this was how tennis was being played, I didn't want to miss out anymore.
I deep dived as much as I could into all the available documentaries on Sinner and Alcaraz, devoted myself to watching their matches the rest of the year and went back to watch the highlights to their previous grand slam wins. Although, I was growing a little tired of the rivalry after consuming so much information about them even I was a little disappointed when Sinner had to retire at Cincinnati. Luckily, with the Us Open and the ATP Finals they both closed out the year on a high note.
But despite all the new knowledge I'd gained, I was still curious about all the matches I'd missed. How did these two players come to dominate the sport? My sporadic interest meant that getting a historical sense of the achievements various players accomplish over time was quite narrow. This book gives a perfect snapshot of the top of ATP tour for Gen Z. Getting a journalist to put it all in context was very very satisfying. It was a little like going down memory lane and peaking behind this impenetrable curtain. Reading about Andy Murray (and those hips!), Juan Martin Del Potro (and that massive forehand and that horrible knee injury at Wimbledon!), Wilfred Tsonga, Gael Monfils (and the acrobatics!), Stan Wawrinka (and that one-handed backhand!), John Isner (and that serve!), Miles Raonic (and his hulking legs!) and even David Ferrer tickled at a part of my brain that had long remained dormant. Forgotten memories and emotions of a childhood watching tennis. I found the profiles on Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe, their bittersweet circumstances, especially poignant.
It's one thing for hyperbolic fans or even broadcasters to fight over a player's trajectory and legacy. I'd gotten a taste of that with the Big Three and wasn't really interested in a game of pure statistics or pure nostalgia. I prefer indulging in the feelings watching a tennis match evokes and understanding why I prefer one tennis player's style over another. This book captures that feeling in spades. The anatomy of a player's game is so fascinating and reading Giri Nathan's dissection was like feasting on a delicious meal. I especially loved the more personal moments of self-derision from the writer and their front row view of the proceedings. Tennis isn't the most popular sport (in my heart it is the greatest sport ever!) so with such a dearth of writing from this perspective, this book felt like an oasis in the desert. It was especially rewarding to see Jordan's observations from 2022 to 2024 about Sinner and Alcaraz come true in 2025 as a witness to their feats. In Roland Garros, Carlos dug into his 12/10 intensity to best Sinner in a five-set epic and in the ATP Finals, Sinner was able to best Carlos by developing his serve faster, narrowly besting Carlos' return game this past Sunday.
Now I wish someone would do this for the WTA- reading about the parity among the top 10 players in contrast to the Sincaraz 'cabal' makes for a great story in my opinion.
I've been a tennis fan for a long time-albeit a sporadic one. My first idols were the Williams sisters and then I went on to admire Federer's efforts on the ATP side of things. His style entertained me the most out of the Big Three so I watched him more but I think the most thrilling ATP match I personally watched live on tv was Nadal v. Djokovic at the 2012 Australian Open. My ability to keep up with the tours waned to the point that I tuned in mostly to watch Andy Murray's Wimbledon matches in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016 (his desire to win Wimbledon had captured my attention so much that I looked forward to his match just as much as Federer's!); Wawrinka v. Djokovic matches; and Serena Williams play at Wimbledon annually and some of her final games of her last year on tour.
I remember watching the Osaka v. Williams at the 2018 Us Open and the unfortunate racist tirades and art posted in the aftermath. I also remembered watching Osaka v. Gauff at the 2019 Us Open and the sweet exchange they had after the match. I took a pause from keeping up with tennis once again in 2022, Serena wasn't playing anymore and I hadn't really grown to admire another player's tennis in the same way as her and Federer just yet.
That changed with Coco Gauff's triumphant win at the Us Open 2023. I'd missed the Siegemund match but caught the highlights and the uproar online over Coco speaking up for herself was reminiscent of Serena's situation back in 2018. Luckily, Coco advanced to the final and I was able to catch the game live on tv and was overcome with such euphoric emotions watching Coco improve over the course of the match to clinch the win that it renewed my love for tennis that I'd admittedly lost a little bit.
This year I can say things changed again for me. I've watched more tennis matches and commentary than I have in the last five years of my life. I've also begun to use more technical terms related to the game as well. Reading this book affirmed the knowledge I'd gained in my personal time enjoying tennis as a fan and sharpened the rest of it. I can admit I've gotten lost trying to decipher the tennis speech of the commentators from US broadcasts over the years, with so many of them being former players - I often tuned out of their analytics and looked at match stats in confusion in the past. But not anymore!
It began when I learned that Madison Keys had finally won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. It was a blast from the past as I'd remembered fondly when she first broke out on the WTA tour alongside Sloane Stephens and Genie Bouchard. I was feeling nostalgic again. The week leading up to the Roland Garros finals, I'd started following tennis fans on twitter wanting to keep up more with the sport again and caught an amusing thread where hybrid fans of Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were hoping they'd both win Roland Garros, the same way they had both won the China Open together last year in 2024. I decided to check Carlos out too because of their optimism.
I happily watched Coco win her first Roland Garros title and second grand slam. I was so nervous after the first set that I had to take time away from watching the game and came back to her defeating Sabalenka in another major final with the third set.
And luckily those fans had led me in the right direction with the new generation of ATP players too, watching the Sinner v. Alcaraz match that following Sunday was quite transformative. I hadn't watched an ATP match in years. I'd chosen to root for Alcaraz after seeing those tweets and catching his highlights of defeating Djokovic not once but twice at Wimbledon. A pretty shallow reason perhaps but it was enough to pique my interest in him. My first thought seeing Sinner and hearing he was Italian was utter disbelief. He had to have been French or something, but no the red head was really Italian albeit from a Northern part that had been disputed over with neighboring Austria that I'd later learn watching his Forza documentary. Nathan's deft reporting illuminated the peculiar circumstances of even Italian media's reticence towards Sinner and his ancestry.
I'm a nervous and sometimes superstitious tennis watcher so I didn't watch the whole match. I stayed for the first set and would pause from time to time when I couldn't relax seeing Alcaraz fall behind despite his best efforts. When the commentator had mentioned that Carlos had never won after being 2 sets to love down, my mind was boggled. But like Coco had the day before, he triumphed from three championship points down to clinch the win in the super tiebreak. Knowing he'd fought so hard and won made me a huge fan. If this was how tennis was being played, I didn't want to miss out anymore.
I deep dived as much as I could into all the available documentaries on Sinner and Alcaraz, devoted myself to watching their matches the rest of the year and went back to watch the highlights to their previous grand slam wins. Although, I was growing a little tired of the rivalry after consuming so much information about them even I was a little disappointed when Sinner had to retire at Cincinnati. Luckily, with the Us Open and the ATP Finals they both closed out the year on a high note.
But despite all the new knowledge I'd gained, I was still curious about all the matches I'd missed. How did these two players come to dominate the sport? My sporadic interest meant that getting a historical sense of the achievements various players accomplish over time was quite narrow. This book gives a perfect snapshot of the top of ATP tour for Gen Z. Getting a journalist to put it all in context was very very satisfying. It was a little like going down memory lane and peaking behind this impenetrable curtain. Reading about Andy Murray (and those hips!), Juan Martin Del Potro (and that massive forehand and that horrible knee injury at Wimbledon!), Wilfred Tsonga, Gael Monfils (and the acrobatics!), Stan Wawrinka (and that one-handed backhand!), John Isner (and that serve!), Miles Raonic (and his hulking legs!) and even David Ferrer tickled at a part of my brain that had long remained dormant. Forgotten memories and emotions of a childhood watching tennis. I found the profiles on Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe, their bittersweet circumstances, especially poignant.
It's one thing for hyperbolic fans or even broadcasters to fight over a player's trajectory and legacy. I'd gotten a taste of that with the Big Three and wasn't really interested in a game of pure statistics or pure nostalgia. I prefer indulging in the feelings watching a tennis match evokes and understanding why I prefer one tennis player's style over another. This book captures that feeling in spades. The anatomy of a player's game is so fascinating and reading Giri Nathan's dissection was like feasting on a delicious meal. I especially loved the more personal moments of self-derision from the writer and their front row view of the proceedings. Tennis isn't the most popular sport (in my heart it is the greatest sport ever!) so with such a dearth of writing from this perspective, this book felt like an oasis in the desert. It was especially rewarding to see Jordan's observations from 2022 to 2024 about Sinner and Alcaraz come true in 2025 as a witness to their feats. In Roland Garros, Carlos dug into his 12/10 intensity to best Sinner in a five-set epic and in the ATP Finals, Sinner was able to best Carlos by developing his serve faster, narrowly besting Carlos' return game this past Sunday.
Now I wish someone would do this for the WTA- reading about the parity among the top 10 players in contrast to the Sincaraz 'cabal' makes for a great story in my opinion.
January 16, 2026
I adored this. It takes immense skill to write about sports in a way that feels almost as electric as actually watching the sport, and Nathan pulls it off with so much heart and humor. This book helped paint portraits of Sinner and Alcaraz that makes me know them better - both their styles of plays and their personalities - and fills in the gap of some of the history I missed when I was paying less attention to these two stars. It was also so fun to read this while getting ready to tune into the Australian Open (aka Sincaraz is starting to be all over my social media again). Here are some of my favorite lines from the book that I think capture its wry humor and insightful characterizations:
"Despite a strong start, Medvedev was not up to the task of solving the hardest problem in tennis: a happy Carlitos playing in conditions that he loves."
"Rafael Nadal has a higher success rate winning matches at Roland-Garros than I do at tying my own shoes."
"Alcaraz bashfully confessed that he used tongue on the first kiss. It's unclear how much money Sinner would need to be paid to even utter a sentence about a hypothetical kiss in which he was involved."
"Often in his press conferences, Sinner takes on a funny, slightly harried tone that suggests he finds the questions daft, that he wishes you were as good at your job as he is at his, that having to answer this question is the terrible price of being a great tennis player and the math is starting to look iffy."
"Despite a strong start, Medvedev was not up to the task of solving the hardest problem in tennis: a happy Carlitos playing in conditions that he loves."
"Rafael Nadal has a higher success rate winning matches at Roland-Garros than I do at tying my own shoes."
"Alcaraz bashfully confessed that he used tongue on the first kiss. It's unclear how much money Sinner would need to be paid to even utter a sentence about a hypothetical kiss in which he was involved."
"Often in his press conferences, Sinner takes on a funny, slightly harried tone that suggests he finds the questions daft, that he wishes you were as good at your job as he is at his, that having to answer this question is the terrible price of being a great tennis player and the math is starting to look iffy."
January 29, 2026
Tennis has been the subject of many of the best sports books of the past 10-15 and the Changeover by Giri Nathan belongs in that conversation.
Exploring the burgeoning and captivating rivalry between young stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Nathan charts the two athletes' rise on tour, their challenges, similarities and differences to the last Big 3 (Novak, Nadal and Federer) and delves into details on the key battles between Alrcaraz and Sinner at the majority of the recent majors.
Nathan doesn't pull punches in this one, he's willing to discuss some of their controversies and adds in a fair amount of (justified) commentary on the new state of tennis journalism/media while telling an interesting and entertaining story on the early stage of a rivalry that looks like it will define the 2020s on the ATP Tour.
I sincerely hope Giri Nathan continues to find a publisher to allow him to cover tennis and look forward to reading more from him and more about the Alcaraz/Sinner rivalry in the years to come.
If you like tennis, sports history or sporting rivalries, I recommend that you pick up a copy of 'The Changeover'
4.75/5 Stars - Rounded Up on Goodreads
Exploring the burgeoning and captivating rivalry between young stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Nathan charts the two athletes' rise on tour, their challenges, similarities and differences to the last Big 3 (Novak, Nadal and Federer) and delves into details on the key battles between Alrcaraz and Sinner at the majority of the recent majors.
Nathan doesn't pull punches in this one, he's willing to discuss some of their controversies and adds in a fair amount of (justified) commentary on the new state of tennis journalism/media while telling an interesting and entertaining story on the early stage of a rivalry that looks like it will define the 2020s on the ATP Tour.
I sincerely hope Giri Nathan continues to find a publisher to allow him to cover tennis and look forward to reading more from him and more about the Alcaraz/Sinner rivalry in the years to come.
If you like tennis, sports history or sporting rivalries, I recommend that you pick up a copy of 'The Changeover'
4.75/5 Stars - Rounded Up on Goodreads
September 9, 2025
Changeover by Giri Nathan was a fascinating read—even for someone like me who knows absolutely nothing about tennis! Nathan, an award-winning tennis writer, expertly captures a major turning point in the sport: the end of an era dominated by the legendary “Big Three”—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer—and the rise of a vibrant new generation.
Filled with sharp insight, humor, and the unmistakable voice of a true fan, Changeover is more than just a recap of matches—it’s a compelling look at a sport in transition. Whether you’re a tennis aficionado or a total newcomer like me, this debut is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of the game.
Filled with sharp insight, humor, and the unmistakable voice of a true fan, Changeover is more than just a recap of matches—it’s a compelling look at a sport in transition. Whether you’re a tennis aficionado or a total newcomer like me, this debut is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of the game.
February 2, 2026
More of a "diary of a year in tennis" than the specific profile of Alcaraz and Sinner that I expected from the cover, but still fun. Having not really followed the sport for several years, I learned a lot.
February 6, 2026
A lovely and quick read. A lot of the information was pretty surface-level but i appreciated it as someone who did not follow Sinner and Alcaraz through their junior/early careers. Also some good insight into other current top players, covering the current landscape of the top of the ATP.
February 23, 2026
This book had me yearning for summer, especially since I finished reading it when it was actively snowing
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