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The sporting world has been blown away by the level of tennis being served up by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and for players striving to climb the rankings, the levels being produced by the game’s greats are hard to fathom.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been saluted for playing the best tennis we have ever seen in recent months, with all-time great John McEnroe among those suggesting the new top two in the men’s game are a step ahead of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in their prime.

The new ‘Big 2’ have won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them and in the opinion of Ireland’s No 1 tennis player Michael Agwi, Alcaraz and Sinner are playing a brand of tennis that is hard to imagine.

“It’s just ridiculous what we are seeing from Alcaraz and Sinner,” began 22-year-old Agwi, who reached a career high of No 407 last year.

“When you look at the Roland Garros final from a few months ago, it was like tennis we have never seen.

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“They hit it so hard, so fast and then never missed a ball. Honestly, you can only dream about playing like this for a match once, but they do it every week.

“You have to say it’s incredible. To be that consistent, to hit it that hard and to make so few mistakes is incredible.”

Agwi, who lead the Ireland team in their Davis Cup tie against China in Dublin this weekend, admits the standards being set by Alcaraz and Sinner are beyond most striving to make an impact in the game, as he suggested he only had one occasion when he felt he played tennis to take him to the next level.

“One moment that stands out in my career was a couple of years ago and I had a day when everything went in,” continued Agwi.

“I was outside the top 1000 and I played a Spanish guy and he was looking at me wondering what was happening. He was around 400 in the world at the time, so he was a better player than me.

“I was just ripping everything. Forehand, backhand, serve, return. I couldn’t miss. My opponent was laughing at how good I was. I was laughing as well.

“This was the day when everything worked for me, but if I did that against Alcaraz or Sinner, it would not be so easy to do that because they would get everything back. This is what we see with the great champions.

“What we can do is look at the great players and try to take something from them. I always watched tennis growing up and you have to aspire to be like the greats.

“I always loved Federer and Nadal and then there was a period to time when I loved Dominic Thiem. Now it’s Djokovic. This might sound strange, but I admire him so much. I liked him even when everyone was supporting Federer and Nadal and Novak was the bad guy.

“The treatment he gets is unfair, especially when you consider his backstory. Coming from Serbia when they are in a war, to achieve what he has done is amazing.”

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Emma Raducanu should not be blamed for opting not to represent Great Britain in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals as the tennis schedule “makes zero sense”, according to Mark Petchey.

World No 34 Raducanu was initially part of Team GB’s squad to face Japan in the quarter-final of the Finals in Shenzhen, China, during the week of September 16, but she announced her withdrawal from the tournament shortly after her exit from the US Open.

Instead, the 22-year-old will now compete in the Korea Open – which runs from September 15-22 in Seoul – after being handed a wildcard entry for the WTA 500 event, although the move did not go down well with LTA officials.

The BBC reported there was there was “considerable anger within the LTA at Raducanu’s decision” and a statement from a spokesperson read: “Of course, we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we’re looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.”

Petchey, who coached Raducanu on an informal basis from March until August this year before Francisco Roig – who was part of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s coaching set-up from 2005 until 2022 – took over ahead of the Cincinnati Open, says playing a WTA Tour event instead of the Billie Jean King Cup is the correct decision for Raducanu.

“There’s always two sides to everything,” Petchey told tennis betting site BetVictor.

“It’s very easy to come down on the side that you should want to represent your country.

“To be fair to Emma, when you look back at what she achieved on the clay against France, she proved that when she’s put up against it, she can A, produce the goods and B does want to play.

“I don’t think you can blame Emma for a schedule that makes zero sense.

“For me when I was with her and before Francisco took over the reins full-time, it was a 50-50 call for me in that regard. If you’re asking me personally, from a purely selfish point of view of wanting to be in the best position for Australia, I would tell her not to play.

“From a PR point of view, you know that people are going to take it badly. But a tennis player’s career is short. She’s suddenly on an upward curve. She understands the importance of wanting to get seeded.”

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Raducanu also played at the Korea Open in 2024 and reached the quarter-final before she was forced to retire with a foot injury after losing the first set against Daria Kasatkina.

She then missed the rest of the regular WTA Tour season due to the injury before returning to action in November to represent Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Petchey added: “The tournament in Seoul is one that she obviously has played well at in the past. Tennis players obviously want to go back to environments that they feel good in, in conditions that they feel good in.

“It’s early after the US Open; you’re never quite sure what motivation level other players have at that particular stage. So, if you’re asking me, I would have told her to make the same decision that she ultimately ended up making.”

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Novak Djokovic has given up on winning a 25th Grand Slam with Boris Becker suggesting he waved goodbye to US Open fans for a final time following his exit from this year’s tournament.

Tennis great Djokovic has now gone two years without winning a major with his last Slam trophy coming at the 2023 US Open as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the past 24 months with each winning four majors.

The Serbian lost in the semi-final of all four Grand Slams this year as he retired injured from his match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open before losing against Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and Alcaraz at the US Open, which is a popular tennis betting event.

After his defeat to Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows, the 24-time Grand Slam winner appeared to be emotional and took his time to wave to the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, sending a heart signal before exiting.

And the 38-year-old also acknowledged after the loss that he realistically can’t keep up with the younger Alcaraz and Sinner in the best-of-five sets.

“I can do only as much as I can do. And yeah it will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in the best of five in the Grand Slams,” he said.

“I think I have a better chance in best of three but best of five, it’s tough. I’m not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard. Having said that, I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But it’s going to be a very, very difficult task.”

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Fellow former world No 1 Becker believes Djokovic’s comments suggest that he has accepted he can’t win Grand Slams anymore.

“He’s playing against Sinner or Alcaraz, and he doesn’t know yet how long his Grand Slam career will continue. So, for the first time, it was openly discussed that 2026 might be his last Grand Slam year,” he said on the Becker-Petkovic podcast.

“He mentioned that he can still keep up with the best of three sets. That’s true. But why is he playing tennis, to win Rome or Monte Carlo … or to achieve 25 Grand Slam victories? And I think it’s the latter.

“And I admit that I now believe that, due to his age and the strength of the young guns, he can’t realistically do it anymore. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that he’ll stop at some point? Do you have any idea when that might be? Do you think he’ll play a full Grand Slam year?”

Djokovic has stated that he wants to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as he is the defending champion after beating Alcaraz in the singles gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games.

Becker added: “On the other hand, he’s still dreaming of the 2028 Olympics, where he wants to defend the gold medal for Serbia.

“In three years, I personally find that unrealistic, but the US Open sounded a bit like a farewell to me.”

Former world No 1 Andrea Petkovic also believes Djokovic’s farewell was more than just a normal goodbye.

“Yes, I thought so too, and also when he left, he was on his way out, he stopped again, took off his bag again, and showed his heart to the audience again,” the German commented.

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Saying you are an OnlyFans creator can often come with certain connotations but in recent years, the subscription service has become an increasingly visible presence in the world of tennis.

For those of you unaware: OnlyFans allows users to pay money to their favourite creators who will then produce content exclusively for their subscribers. The platform was started in 2016 in the UK but has grown rapidly and as a sign of its expansion, they paid over £100m in taxes to the UK government last year, bringing out some snobby comments who would rather their schools were funded by someone else.

The snobiness comes with the association surrounding the company with it initially being known for a different kind of love but in recent years, the world of sports, and tennis in particular, has been growing on the platform.

In December 2023, Nick Kyrgios – who is not afraid of making headlines – signed up, saying the company was “revolutionising social media” and he “wanted to be a part of that.”

Last year, WTA Tour player Sachia Vickery signed up. The reason behind her decision was a shoulder injury that sidelined her for six months and the finances of tennis being what they are meant her income came to a sudden halt.

Tennis, as with other individual sports, sees the athletes rely on prize money rather than a salary and while the very top players do not need to be too concerned about the ones and zeros, those lower down the rankings sometimes find their winnings don’t come to much once coaches have been paid and taxes taken.

OnlyFans then was a way for Vickery to make some money while she was stuck away from the court.

She is not alone either. In March, Chloe Paquet joined and in May, the self-dubbed “sexiest professional tennis player” Alexandre Muller signed up, saying that he expects many of his colleagues to join him.

One of the latest names to sign up is world No.52 Pedro Martinez who spoke with Tennis365 about why he decided to join.

“A couple of months ago, I spoke with my manager and he told me it was a possibility to change the platform, to connect more with the fans, and I think it was attractive to just try to sell the content and don’t give it all for free on social media,” he said.

“So we thought about it. I talked to one of my team to record a couple of videos, and then I shared them there.”

But before you get your hopes up, topless photos seem to be reserved for Muller with Martinez instead showing fans what it takes to be a tennis player away from the matches.

“I’ve been sharing some exercises that I can do in the gym that I cannot post all on Instagram,” he said from Spain as he prepared for his country’s Davis Cup qualifiers.

“If I have a good practice, maybe just something that I normally don’t post on other platforms like Instagram or Twitter, and then I share it through there. Or maybe I had a good practice with some videos on Roland Garros or on Centre Court. So I think that’s something that you cannot see on Instagram.

“Now I have a lot of pictures from the Davis Cup so I’m putting this kind of content out that people can be closer to me and to get to know me more.”

With career prize money north of $5m, Martinez is not short of a dollar or two but he said that extra income is always handy when the costs begin to stack up.

“Tennis is pretty expensive, but now the earnings are bigger than what they used to be like 10 years ago. So I’m earning a decent amount of money, but you know, it’s always good to make something extra because it’s a really expensive sport, because you have to pay everything for yourself.

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“You have to pay your coach. You have to pay your fitness coaches. You have to pay your physio. You have to pay all the expenses of all of them traveling around the world – hotels, flights, meals and if you want to fly with your family, you have to take care of expenses as well.

“You are always wasting money but it is what it is. In Spain, we say you have to try to put more in than you let go out more.”

With Kyrgios down in the 600s, Martinez along with Muller, are the highest-ranked male players on the platform and while it remains to be seen if the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may ever join, the Spaniard pointed to other sports as an example of where the top-level players sign up.

“Let’s see in the future,” he said of his colleagues potentially joining. “Now we have Alex Muller, Kyrgios, Chloe Paquet,” the 28-year-old said. “I think I saw other sports players getting into OnlyFans.

“And now, with Charles Oliveira joining the platform as well, I follow a lot of MMA and you can maybe find something if you really like MMA about stuff you cannot see on any other platform so you can follow through there.

“So I think it’s a platform that is going to keep growing.”

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Patrick Mouratoglou has admitted to ‘having a few fights’ with Serena Williams over her weight during their collaboration as coach and player.

The American, who retired in 2022, has recently made headlines for admitting to using GLP-1 – a group of weight loss medications – to help her lose 14 kilograms in eight months.

Williams did so in order to ‘try something different’, having stated that she saw her weight as another ‘opponent’, combining the medication with ‘training five hours a day’ and ‘running, walking, biking, stair climbing.’

Mouratoglou joined forces with the 23-time Grand Slam champion as head coach in 2012 and continued that role for the remainder of the American’s career.

“Oh, I remember it very well,” remarked the Frenchman to The Guardian, after being reminded of a story in which he was said to have argued her weight was negatively affecting her game.

“It was after the pregnancy – not right after; I know these things take time. I told her: ‘Listen, this is not a comment on how you look. It’s not my problem.’

“But tennis is a sport in which you can’t afford to be overweight. First of all, the pressure on your joints and everything is so big that your chances become much higher.

“The second thing is it’s a sport in which you change directions all the time and with a lot of speed. Even one kilo overweight is a lot.

“When you go full speed in one direction with one kilo extra and then need to stop and come back, the time that you lose is really important. Just look at the best players in the world – Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic. Think about their movement.

“The weight was affecting her movement.

“In Serena’s case, she was older – so of course the body is not going to bounce back the same as before, and the risk of injury is even bigger.

“We had a few fights about it. I remember she did not like when I said that because she thought I was judging her. But I kept telling her, I don’t care about your look. It’s not my job.

“My job is your tennis. If you want to come back to the top and make history, then we have to be very efficient on every level – including this one, which for me was the key element.”

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Since Williams retired, Mouratoglou joined forces with Dane Holger Rune from mid-2022 for 24 months – in an on-and-off relationship – and, more recently, worked as the main coach of Naomi Osaka from September 2024 until July 2025.

Over her career, the American collected 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 such doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and 73 singles trophies overall.

The Frenchman went on to add: “I’m not the type of guy who’s looking back and having regrets. But, yeah, if she would have been in this position physically, the results would have been better.”

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Reports of a relationship between Carlos Alcaraz and model Brooks Nader have been dismissed by a leading Spanish journalist, with world No 1 reportedly claiming he is “single” to members of his entourage.

Rumours that world No 1 and recently-crowned US Open champion Alcaraz was dating Nader first emerged during his campaign in New York, with the 28-year-old Sports Illustrated model also connected to Alcaraz’s rival, Jannik Sinner, in recent weeks.

Some reports have claimed that Nader was dating both Alcaraz and Sinner during the US Open, though her older sister Grace Ann then told E! News that Brooks was dating the Spaniard, a six-time Grand Slam champion.

“The rumours are true,” Grace Ann told the publication. “Dating is such a loose term. But I do know he’s [Alcaraz] the man of the hour.”

However, despite the rumours fuelled by Nader, any reports of a relationship have now been dismissed by Alberto Guzman, a leading Spanish tennis journalist.

Appearing on the TV show No Somos Nadie, Guzman claimed that there was no “official” relationship between Alcaraz and Nader — and that the 22-year-old has “no intention” to pursue anything serious.

“They are not a couple, it is not an official relationship,” said Guzman.

“He confirmed to his entourage that he is single and that he has no intention of having a serious relationship.”

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When asked about Grace Ann’s comments regarding her sister’s rumoured relationship with Alcaraz, Guzman followed up with a dismissive verdict.

He added: “Perhaps she is not well informed.”

Talk about both Alcaraz and Sinner’s love life has grown significantly in recent months, though both have attempted to keep their distance from any gossip.

Outside of Nader, world No 2 Sinner — who split with Anna Kalinskaya towards the end of 2024 — has been connected to Russian model Adrian Brody, and most recently Laila Hasanovic, in recent months.

Alcaraz has famously found himself connected to fellow tennis star Emma Raducanu across the summer, with several reporting on their rumoured relationship despite there having been no official sources connecting the two.

The Spaniard and Raducanu played together during the revamped US Open mixed doubles event earlier this summer, and will be at the same exhibition together in New Jersey this December.

Alcaraz has not been in action since beating Sinner to win his second US Open title on Sunday, with the world No 1 choosing to withdraw from his nation’s Davis Cup tie versus Denmark.

However, he is expected to return to action next weekend in San Francisco, where he will lead Team Europe’s charge at the Laver Cup.

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The Grand Slam season is done and dusted for 2025, and all eyes are now on which WTA Tour stars can make their mark across a fascinating Asian Swing.

With WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan still to come, alongside the WTA Finals in Riyadh and an array of WTA 500 tournaments still to come, there will be plenty of chances for players to earn big ranking points — though a few players have significant points of their own to defend.

Here, we look at the ranking points that the WTA top 10 have to defend over the next two months, alongside some of the other biggest names on the WTA Tour.

1) Aryna Sabalenka — 1,615 points

The leader in the WTA Race to Riyadh as things stand, Sabalenka will look to defend her world No 1 ranking over the next few months.

Sabalenka has 1,615 points to defend in total, with 1,000 from her 2024 Wuhan Open triumph, 400 from the WTA Finals, and 215 from the China Open.

2) Iga Swiatek — 400 points

Having missed a significant chunk of the 2024 Asian swing due to a provisional doping suspension, Swiatek has comparatively few points to defend this swing.

The Pole, who starts her swing at the Korea Open, has just 400 points to defend from her two WTA Finals round-robin victories last November.

3) Coco Gauff — 2,690 points

World No 3 Gauff has significant ranking points to defend across the rest of the year after a stunning Asian swing in 2024.

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The American has 1,000 champion points from the China Open and 390 Wuhan semi-final points, before a further 1,300 points from last year’s WTA Finals triumph.

4) Amanda Anisimova — 224 points

After back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals this summer, new world No 4 Anisimova will look to earn further ranking points this Autumn.

She has just 224 points to defend across the rest of the year, with a second-round run at the Korea Open, a fourth-round China Open run, and a second-round Wuhan run to her name.

5) Mirra Andreeva — 604 points

Looking to return to form after a disappointing hard-court summer, world No 5 Andreeva has a handful of points to defend this summer.

The 18-year-old has 325 points to defend from her run to the 2024 Ningbo Open final and 215 points from reaching the last eight of the China Open, alongside round two Wuhan points.

6) Madison Keys — 129 points

Keys’ momentum has cooled in recent months after her stunning Australian Open triumph back in January, though she could surge again with very few points to defend this Autumn.

The American has just 120 points to defend from her fourth-round showing at the 2024 China Open, and was then beaten in the opening round of the Wuhan Open twelve months ago.

7) Jessica Pegula — 124 points

Pegula fell down to world No 7 in the WTA Rankings after the US Open, though could surge back up with only 124 points to defend across the Asian swing.

The American has only round of 16 points to defend in both Beijing and Wuhan, with no points to defend from her short-lived 2024 WTA Finals campaign.

8) Jasmine Paolini — 480 points

After a disappointing year at Grand Slam level, world No 8 Paolini will be hoping to seal WTA Finals qualification across the rest of the season.

The Italian has 480 points to defend across the rest of the year, with 65 in Beijing, 215 in Wuhan, and 200 from the WTA Finals.

9) Zheng Qinwen — 2,340 points

Having undergone shoulder surgery this summer, Qinwen could face a huge drop down the WTA Rankings if she is unable to get back to court — with a staggering 2,340 points to defend.

The world No 9 has a WTA 500 title to defend in Tokyo, though was the WTA Finals and Wuhan Open runner-up, and a China Open semi-finalist, last season.

10) Elena Rybakina — 200 points

After a topsy-turvy season to date, world No 10 Rybakina will look to finish her 2025 season on a high over the next few months.

The Kazakh missed most of the Asian swing last year, and has just 200 points to defend from the WTA Finals.

Other big names

Emma Raducanu — 108 points: Raducanu has just Korea Open quarter-final points to defend next week, having missed most of the 2024 Asian swing due to injury.

Naomi Osaka — 120 points: Having surged back into the top 20 after a strong summer, Osaka could rise further this swing, with only fourth-round points from the China Open to defend.

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The best run of Alex Eala’s career may have come to an end on Friday, though there are still plenty of positives for the star to take after an impressive two weeks across Guadalajara and Sao Paulo.

After winning the WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, the biggest title of her career to date, Eala then breezed into the last eight of the WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open, easing past Yasmine Mansouri and then Julia Riera in her opening two matches.

Her quest for a first WTA Tour-level title was ended at the quarter-final stage by Janice Tjen, with the Indonesian on her own rich vein of form in 2025, though the 20-year-old can take huge encouragement from her seven-match winning streak.

With the dust now settling on her SP Open campaign, we look at the ranking points and prize money that the tennis trailblazer earned across her three matches in Sao Paulo.

What ranking points did Eala earn?

Eala had already achieved a huge rankings boost following her run in Guadalajara, with the Filipina surging back inside the top 65 of the WTA Rankings.

And, thanks to her SP Open run, she is now set to soar back inside the top 60 when the WTA Rankings update next Monday.

Just one ranking point was available in the opening round of the SP Open, though Eala safely progressed through to round two, guaranteeing herself 30 points for progressing to the round of 16.

By beating Riera and reaching the quarter-final of the WTA 250, Eala earned herself 54 ranking points from the tournament.

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Eala will drop 25 points from the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open she contested twelve months ago, though she is still set to move up 29 points to 1,083 come Monday.

In the WTA Live Rankings, the 20-year-old currently sits at her career-high of world No 56, though she will drop down based on other results this weekend.

However, a return to the top 60 does look secure for Eala.

What prize money did Eala earn?

It is not just ranking points won by the Filipina in Sao Paulo, with Eala also taking home the quarter-finalists prize money as well.

A total of $3,110 was available for every player in round one, with Eala quickly moving above that thanks to her round-one victory.

The Filipina guaranteed herself at least $4,470 in winnings by reaching the second round and, thanks to her progression to the last eight, will take home $6,820 in prize money.

Had Eala reached the semi-final, she would have earned herself $11,970 in winnings from the event.

However, Eala has now earned over $880,000 in prize money across the 2025 season to date.

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The draw for the WTA 500 Korea Open has been revealed — and Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu are set to meet in the quarter-final of the women’s singles draw.

Grand Slam champions Swiatek and Raducanu are both set to be in action for the first time since the end of the US Open, where the Pole reached the last eight, falling to eventual runner-up Amanda Anisimova, and Raducanu fell to Elena Rybakina.

Now, both women return to action in Seoul, with world No 2 Swiatek the top seed and the Brit seeded eighth, and find themselves in the same quarter of the 28-player draw.

Like all the top four seeds, Swiatek will receive a bye in the opening round and will face Sorana Cirstea or Zhu Lin in the second round, marking her Korea Open event debut.

The world No 2 is then projected to face Raducanu in the quarter-finals, though the Brit does not have an easy couple of opening rounds in the Korean capital.

Looking to match her run to the last eight from 2024, the eighth seed — who is seeded after the withdrawals of Anisimova and Veronika Kudermetova — begins her campaign against Jaqueline Cristian.

Raducanu could then face two-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No 2 Barbora Krejcikova in the second round, with the Czech’s campaign opening against a qualifier.

On paper, Swiatek is then projected to face third seed Clara Tauson in the last four, with the Dane having beaten the six-time Grand Slam champion at the Canadian Open earlier this summer.

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Tauson is projected to face Eva Lys or Ashlyn Krueger in the second round after her round-one bye, and is projected to take on seventh seed Sofia Kenin in the last eight.

Headlining the bottom half of the draw is world No 11 and second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who has flown under the radar in 2025 despite the most consistent season of her career.

However, the second seed could have a tough opener in round two versus French Open star Lois Boisson, who begins her campaign against Korean wildcard Ku Yeonwoo in the opening round.

Alexandrova is then projected to face defending champion and sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last eight, with the Brazilian searching for form after a challenging year.

Haddad Maia has been handed a favourable draw to reach the quarter-final on paper, with the sixth seed opening against wildcard Back Dayeon, before potentially facing a qualifier in round two.

Also in the bottom half of the draw is fourth seed and 2024 runner-up Daria Kasatkina, who is projected to take on Alexandrova in the semi-final.

Following her opening round bye, Kasatkina is expected to face wildcard Park Sohyun or a qualifier, before a potential quarter-final against fifth seed Diana Shnaider.

Shnaider’s campaign opens against a qualifier, before an expected round-two clash versus Suzan Lamens or Tatjana Maria.

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The rise of Jannik Sinner was a story built around many improving facets of his game, with the serve at the top of the list for his biggest improvements.

Roll the clock back to early 2023 and Sinner’s service motion looks very different from what it is now.

The Italian was serving with his back foot flat on the ground prior to his motion starting, with his highly respected coach Darren Cahill and his lead coach Simone Vagnozzi, deciding that he needed to change if he wanted to take his serve to a Grand Slam-winning level.

That starting position changed as he moved to a stance that saw his back heel elevated, which gave him more height as he reached up to the ball and allowed him to raise his service percentage and also, significantly, his service speed.

He has also tweaked the starting position of his racket, with his starting position now in front of his knee, with Sinner’s service motion now looks more classical than he had a couple of years ago.

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“One thing I did say is, ’The serve needs to improve. You’re six foot four and you’re a strong lad’,” Cahill told the ATP Tour last earlier this year.

“You need to be able to get more miles per hour on that first serve, better direction on that first serve. Then not only do you start winning some free points from your first serve, but also your Plus One becomes much more effective. If people can neutralise your serve, you have to work much harder for your points.’

“Then his questions came, one after the other… i’s typical of him. He wants to compete. He’s a competition animal. We’re seeing an incredible level of tennis at the moment, with Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik.

“If you look at their body of work over the past couple of years, they’ve separated themselves from the field. Now it’s up to the field to chase.”

Sinner appeared to be seperating himself from everyone in the men’s game, including Alcaraz, prior to this year’s US Open, but the shot that has helped to inspire his rise to world No 1 and Grand Slam glory started to show signs fo cracking in New York.

With his first serve percentage dropping, Sinner appeared to be searching for a shot that has come so naturally to him at the US Open and that allowed Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime to test him before he struggled again on his serve in the final against Alcaraz.

Giving his Spanish rival too many looks at second serves was a recipe for disaster and it was one of the key areas Sinner suggested he needed to improve as he reflected on the Alcaraz defeat in New York.

“I’m gonna change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but, they can make big differences and then we see how it goes,” said Sinner.

“You know, I’m looking forward to playing these matches again, something new is now that I’m not number one anymore, so you know, this also changes a little bit for you. You chase, it’s different.”

Alcaraz’s most improved shot over the last year is probably his second serve, with the power and punch he has found on it making it tougher than ever to break him.

Throw in his beefed-up first serve, which saw him regularly hitting 130mph serves out wide to Sinner in the US Open final and you have a package that is hard to halt.

Sinner now needs to find the tweaks to his serve that allow him to keep pace with an improving Alcaraz and the joy of this rivalry appears to be that these two great champions are going to continue to push themselves to the next level time and again over the next few years.

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