Jannik Sinner was hoping to pick up his third Grand Slam title of the season in New York.
Following his victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the Italian headed over to Flushing Meadows looking to end his Grand Slam campaign on a high note.
Reaching the final without too much trouble, Sinner met his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, once again.
Winning their Grand Slam final ‘trilogy’, Alcaraz beat Sinner in four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, taking his major tally to six.
Weighing in with his thoughts on Sinner’s latest defeat to Alcaraz, Italian tennis legend Paolo Bertolucci urged his countryman to focus on one area of his game in training.
Paolo Bertolucci tells Jannik Sinner he ‘must’ improve his serve if he wants to beat Carlos Alcaraz
Writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport, former Davis Cup winner Bertolucci advised Sinner to make a slight adjustment to his game.
“The shot Jannik [Sinner] must focus most on once training resumes will undoubtedly be his serve,” he said.
“In my opinion, the downstroke should be shortened, the movement shortened, and everything sped up to make the ball’s direction less predictable.
“Beyond the first serve percentage, which will certainly need to be increased, the difference that was striking on Sunday in the US Open duel was that, with the same number of first serves hit, [Carlos] Alcaraz’s was much more productive than Sinner’s.”
Alcaraz’s serve outperformed Sinner’s by some margin in Sunday’s final, powering him to victory.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 10 | 0 | 61% | 83% | 57% |
| Jannik Sinner | 2 | 4 | 48% | 69% | 52% |
Bertolucci believes that Sinner needs to fine-tune his game to combat Alcaraz’s, with the two leading the way on the ATP Tour in 2025.
“We’re looking at a duopoly at the top that’s destined to last for years, but it also takes time, because to improve and further raise Jannik’s already very high level, a click isn’t enough; you need to work in depth, and the margins are very slim,” he said.
“We’re talking about two phenomenal players who, at most, lose one set in a tournament.
Sets lost before the final – 2025 US Open
- Jannik Sinner – 2 (Set 1 v Denis Shapovalov in 3R, Set 2 v Felix Auger-Aliassime in SF)
- Carlos Alcaraz – 0
“After all, Alcaraz also changed his game, adapting it to Sinner’s after losing the Wimbledon grass final.
“In other words, each has his own characteristics: the Spaniard is a more technical player and uses more technical variations, while the Italian is more solid.”
Sinner was well aware of the changes he needed to make after the final, providing an ‘impeccable’ response during his post-match press conference.
Adriano Panatta praises Jannik Sinner for ‘impeccable’ post-match press conference
After losing the US Open final, Sinner admitted he needs to become less predictable if he wants to turn around his head-to-head deficit vs Alcaraz.
- Carlos Alcaraz 10 – 5 Jannik Sinner
During the latest episode of ‘La Telefonata’, 1976 French Open champion Adriano Panatta gave his verdict on Sinner’s press conference.
“I have to say that Sinner was impeccable in the press conference. He said exactly what he needs to do: he mustn’t stay too tied to his game, he must try other things, he must improve the technical quality of some shots,” he said.
“The maturity of this guy is worth highlighting: he said some things that may seem obvious, but saying them in front of the microphones in the position he is in is not for everyone.
“The verb ‘learn’ is very important in a serious discussion. He is humble because he has understood that the other has learned to manage the match a little better than before: he knows how to alternate his shots. He has matured.
Panatta proceeded to explain why improving his first serve % might not be as easy as it seems.
“The percentage of first serves also depends on the fact that the other player is beating you on your favorite terrain,” he said.
“It’s a question of the nervous system.”
Sinner will no doubt work hard to improve his game over the next few weeks before returning to action in Beijing for the ATP 500 China Open.
The 2025 China Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 22.
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