It is becoming very clear how Jannik Sinner is planning to beat Carlos Alcaraz at future tournaments

Follow us on Google Discover

The final of the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia was a foregone conclusion before the tournament had begun.

With both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner coming through their semifinal matches, the two superstars of the sport will meet again in a title bout.

Alcaraz, who had received a bye in the quarterfinals, made quick work of American number one Taylor Fritz in the final four, defeating his Laver Cup conqueror in straight sets.

The Italian, on the other hand, had to go through both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic to book his place in the championship match; a pair of tasks he completed with ease.

After dominating the Greek star in 76 minutes, Sinner triumphed over Djokovic comfortably, besting the Serbian legend 6-4, 6-2.

Though the Six Kings Slam is just an exhibition event, Sinner now has an opportunity to face Alcaraz once again and understand how to best approach each clash in their already iconic rivalry.

How Jannik Sinner is improving his game to beat Carlos Alcaraz

Perhaps the most impressive element in the world number two’s game during his match with Djokovic was his serve, which he has clearly been working on recently.

In the first set, Sinner tallied nine aces, a first serve percentage of 83%, and did not face one break point against arguably the greatest returner of all time.

As per ATP Statistics, Sinner ranks third in serve rating on the tour, taking into account first serve percentage, win rate on first and second serves, as well as percentage of service games won, average aces per match, and average double faults per match.

With a total serve rating of 295.1, he trails only Fritz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard over the last 52 weeks.

• 1 – Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: 298.7
• 2 – Taylor Fritz: 296.9
• 3 – Jannik Sinner: 295.1
• 4 – Alexander Zverev: 294.8
• 5 – Novak Djokovic: 292.9

He has certainly ramped up the speed of his service motion in 2025, which helped him emerge victorious on the quick grass courts of Wimbledon, particularly in the final against Alcaraz.

Not only is Sinner beginning to become one of the ATP Tour’s best servers, but he is also adding more variety to his game, proving he is not just a hard-hitting baseliner.

Against Tsitsipas at the Six Kings Slam, the 24-year-old showed off a much-improved drop shot, a move that his great rival, Alcaraz, has mastered.

The Spaniard himself is continuing to improve, most notably with his serve speed, and if Sinner is to turn their currently one-sided head-to-head record around, he will need to keep adding to his already incredible skillset.

Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz in 2025

At tour-level events, Alcaraz leads Sinner 10-5 in their head-to-head, with four of those victories coming during the 2025 season.

Each of the five meetings between the two this year have come in finals, including three Grand Slam title bouts.

Since Sinner returned from his three month suspension in May, he has only managed to beat Alcaraz once, coming out on top at the All England Club.

Alcaraz, who reclaimed world number one status after the US Open final, looks to be the better of the two right now, a narrative Sinner will look to change in 2026.