Need to step out of my comfort zone to beat Alacaraz, says Sinner after US Open final loss
Jannik Sinner slumped to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 against Carlos Alcaraz to not only surrender his US Open crown but also the top spot in the ATP rankings.
New Delhi: After his US Open final defeat, Jannik Sinner wondered if he could do things differently to gain an upper hand in his burgeoning on-court rivalry with Carlo Alcaraz.
Sinner slumped to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to not only surrender his US Open crown but also the top spot in the ATP rankings. It was the Italian's second loss in a Grand Slam final to Alcaraz after the French Open in June.
It also meant his head-to-head record against Alcaraz worsened to 5-10 even though he wn two of the four majors of the 2025 season.
Speaking after his loss, the 24-year-old said he wants to find a way to add more variety in his game that Alcaraz showed in their final at the Arthur Ashe stadium on Sunday.
"Today, there were two or three things that weren't where I wanted them to be. I was too predictable in my play today. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone,” Sinner said.
"Practice differently. Accept, maybe, that you might lose some matches in some tournaments because you try something new. This is how I can become more of a complete player, let's say.”
'Little things'
Sinner pointed out few issues in particular that needs attention. His first-serve accuracy was only 48%, which led to 11 break points, five of those he lost.
His returning could produce only one break point in the entire match while he didn’t attempt any serve-and-volley moves.
These are the sorts of "little things” that would "give you the confidence to do when you are under pressure,” Sinner said, pointing out that Alcaraz is better equipped to do.
The loss ended Sinner's 27 consecutive hard-court wins at majors, second only to Roger Federer's 40. It was also Sinner's fifth successive appearance in a Grand Slam final.
"I felt like he was doing everything slightly better today, especially serving.... I give lots of credit to him, because he handled the situation better than I did,” he said.
"He raised his level when he had to. I'm still proud of myself, about the season I'm (having), but he played better than me today.”
When asked to comment on Sinner's observation, Alcaraz said: "I wouldn't say he's predictable, but I know his style. I know what he's going to do (and the) main weapons (in) his game.”