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Carlos Alcaraz partied the night away in New York after his US Open title run because “who hasn’t enjoyed themselves at 22?”

The 22-year-old had a memorable month in the United States as he not only won the US Open, but also the Cincinnati Open as he finished his North American hard-court swing with a 13-0 win-loss record, having dropped only three sets during the two tournaments.

Once the formalities following his 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over his great rival Jannik Sinner were done, Alcaraz and those close to him went out to celebrate his sixth Grand Slam title as they enjoyed the vibrant nightlife in the Big Apple.

The 22-year-old and his friends were spotted at the Chez Margaux private club in New York where annual memberships cost between $1,800-$2,600 (about £1,300-£2,000) with initiation fees $1,000-$2,000 (£740-£1,500)

The likes of Taylor Swift, Zoë Kravitz and Gigi Hadid are regular visitors to the Parisian-styled Chez and Alcaraz and his fellow guests were treated to private performances by Cardi B and Kid Laroi on Sunday evening.

Other celebrities on the night included Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz, Jessica Alba, Lupita Nyong’o, Adrien Brody and Kevin Hart and Alcaraz posted a picture with Brody on Instagram the following day.

Models Brianna Bardhi and Tika Camaj were also in attendance, and the former shared pictures of Alcaraz on her socials after the event while several others also took to Instagram to post about the US Open champion’s night out in Manhattan.

There is no doubt that Alcaraz’s celebrations were much-deserved and he is not shying away from the fact that he likes to party, when the time is right.

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Following the release of his Netflix documentary Carlos Alcaraz: My Way in April, some questioned his commitment to tennis, but he answered questions about his professional during tournaments in the best possible fashion in New York.

After his US Open win, El Pais asked him if the criticism of being a “party animal and someone who lacked commitment”, fueled his run and he replied: “No, no, it was personal motivation. Obviously, since the documentary came out, there has been a lot of talk about it, and it has really paid off. People say I like to party a lot… And I like to enjoy myself! Who doesn’t like to enjoy themselves?”

The 22-year-old added: “I think that’s why we work, why we suffer, why we spend so much time away from home; so that we can then have our moments and our fun.

“Everyone enjoys it in their own way and, personally, yes, I like to go out, because I’m 22. Who hasn’t done that at that age? Who hasn’t enjoyed themselves at 22? I like to have a good time with my family and friends, whether it’s partying or not, with other more relaxed plans… It’s about having quality time at home so that I’m motivated for the tournaments.”

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Alcaraz made his breakthrough at the top when he was just a teenager as he won his maiden Grand Slam, the 2022 US Open, at the age of 19 and in the process became the youngest-ever world No 1 in men’s tennis.

But three years later he is maturing.

“We are maturing and growing up, learning to deal with many situations, but I still have the same enthusiasm as before,” he told El Pais. “I’m trying to manage all this as best I can, because it’s not easy, but when things are going well off the court, it’s not unusual for them to go well on the court too.

“One thing is linked to the other. That’s what we’ve improved the most. Off the court, I’ve improved a lot and realized how important it is to take care of all the details to be perfect. I think that’s been my biggest progress.

“I try to be very careful about everything I say and how I say it, because sometimes it can be greatly magnified.”

The post Inside Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title celebrations as he responds to ‘party animal’ remarks appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala has extended her unbeaten run to six matches after she kicked off her SP Open campaign with an impressive win over Yasmine Mansouri.

Fresh from winning her maiden WTA singles title at the second-tier Guadalajara 125 Open over the weekend, Eala returned to the top-tier WTA Tour and continued her winning streak with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Frenchwoman Mansouri in a contest that lasted only 76 minutes.

The 20-year-old, who became the first Filipino player to win a Grand Slam singles match with her opening-round win at the US Open, broke her opponent’s serve three times in the first set and twice in the second for the dominant win.

“This is my first time in Brazil and my first time in South America, actually, so I’m so happy to see that the crowd is so lively,” Eala, who is seeded third, said after the match.

“I didn’t expect so many people to come out and watch me play. I guess I was a bit lucky to be sandwiched in between two great Brazilians, so I’m just happy to be here and to be able to play well.”

Most of Tuesday’s celebrations at the Parque Villa-Lobos in Sao Paolo were reserved for Beatriz Hadda Maia as the top-seeded Brazilian delighted home fans with a 6-1, 6-1 win over qualifier Miriana Tona.

The SP Open is making its debut on the WTA Tour and it is the first top-level women’s tournament in Brazil since 2016.

On The Up In The Rankings

Eala, who has peaked at No 56 in the WTA Rankings, started the WTA 250 event in Brazil at No 61, but she has climbed two spots to No 59 in the Live Rankings with her win over Mansouri.

But a new career-high is waving at her as she could surge to No 55 if she wins her second-round encounter against Argentine Julia Riera, who is currently at No 188 in the Official WTA Rankings. The 23-year-old Riera defeated Vitalia Diatchenko in straight sets to book her round of 32.

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A run to the final could see Eala break into the top 50, but if she does make it to that stage, she will likely have to get past Janice Tjen in the quarter-final before a projected last-four clash against second seed Solana Sierra.

A title run could see her surge as high as No 42.

Eala, a graduate from the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, has already enjoyed several highs this year as she reached the semi-final of the WTA 1000 Miami Open before making her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros.

After losing in the first round in Paris and at Wimbledon, her maiden win at the majors arrived at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The post Alex Eala +2 in WTA Rankings as she extends winning streak to six appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz is the king of tennis once again after his stunning US Open final win against Jannik Sinner, but former world No 1 Andy Roddick has warned the Spaniard that he needs to be wary of what comes next after the huge high of his victory at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz halted the Sinner juggernaut with his unexpectedly convincing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over his great rival, as he gained quick revenge from what was a relatively comfortable win for Sinner against the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final in July.

The duo have now won each of the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, with the score tied at 4-4 in major wins over the course of the last two years.

Yet any suggestion that Sinner was pulling clear of Alcaraz at the top of men’s tennis was banished as the younger member of this compelling battle roared back in stunning fashion to win his sixth Grand Slam title.

Now, former US Open champion Roddick has given his verdict on the final, as he started by suggesting he was surprised by the manner of Alcaraz’s win and began to sum up what it means for the immediate future of his battles with Sinner.

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“I didn’t see that (coming), I didn’t see one-way traffic,” said Roddick, as he reflected on the comprehensive nature of Alcaraz’s win on the latest edition of the Served podcast.

“The margin for error with these two when they play each other is so razor thin. You are taking half chances. I know I have to go if I see Jannik with any defence, even if it is a little reckless.

“Sinner was hitting the ball harder than maybe anyone I’ve ever seen in that last game. Carlos just stayed there and got back to deuce and hit a monster serve on match point.

“This is not stopping here. These two are going to go back a forward and the coaches involved behind the scenes make it even more fascinating.”

Roddick went on to suggest Alcaraz now needs to be cautious as he deals with the inevitable come down of such a significant victory, with his experience from winning the US Open in 2003 giving him a glimpse into what it feels like to reach the pinnacle in tennis.

“I did a lot of PR the day after I won the US Open,” added Roddick. “Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t need to do anything. He doesn’t need to be more famous. Everyone loves him. He doesn’t need to train the media narrative. The charisma just jumps out of his body.

“You can get through the ten hour day (of publicity). It’s going to be the fallout over the next three months.

“For Carlos, it has always looked different at the end of the year. The indoor circuit, he hasn’t played well at the World Tour finals.

“There’s no major for four months, you are picking up scraps until the end of the year. My crash was securing No 1 (ranking) and I was toast. I felt like I was a zombie. So the next three months are the concern for Carlos Alcaraz.”

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The post Andy Roddick fires a warning to Carlos Alcaraz after stunning US Open win appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has opted to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in order to sign up for the Korea Open and that could prove to be a good move in her attempt to return to the top 30 of the WTA Rankings.

The 2021 US Open winner enjoyed a decent North American hard-court swing as she reached the semi-final of the Washington Citi DC Open and followed it up with a round three appearance at the Canadian Open and a second-round exit at the Canadian Open.

Raducanu then won her first match at the US Open since her magical Grand Slam title run at Flushing Meadows four years ago, reaching the third round before going down in straight sets against ninth seed Elena Rybakina.

The 22-year-old started the hard-court campaign at No 46 in the rankings, but finds herself at No 34 after the US Open and there is no doubt she can improve further during the upcoming swing in Asia.

What Is To Come For Raducanu?

The Korea Open is up next following her decision to withdraw from Great Britain’s upcoming Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final rubber against Japan.

The British No 1 also played in Seoul last year and she reached the quarter-final, but then retired with a foot ligament injury at the start of the second set after Daria Kasatkina won the opener 6-0. That foot injury also forced her to withdraw from the China Open main draw and the qualifying event at the Wuhan Open.

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Raducanu only returned to action at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals as she steered Great Britain to the semi-finals before they lost against Germany.

The world No 34 is set to feature at both WTA 1000 events in China this year, providing she is fit, as her ranking is good enough for direct entries.

The China Open will run from September 24 to October 5 with the Wuhan Open taking place from October 6 to 12.

The Asia swing will continue after the back-to-back WTA 1000 events with the Ningbo Open and Japan Open being staged the week after Wuhan. That will be followed by the Pan Pacific Open and Guangzhou Open in mid-October before the swing ends with the Hong Kong Open, Jiangxi Open and Chennai Open.

Raducanu was due to play at Ningbo, Guangzhou and Hong Kong last year, but was forced to skip those events due to her foot injury and she could well decide to enter some of those events this year.

Points Being Defended By Raducanu

Having played only one tournament after the 2024 US Open, Raducanu only has 108 points to defend following her run to the semi-final in Seoul.

The 22-year-old sits on 1,546 points in the Official WTA Rankings, but will move to 1,438 once her total from Korea is removed.

Of course, she will then have a chance to reclaim those points, while any points she picks up at the remaining events will likely result in a rise up the rankings as those around her have more points to defend during the final few months of the year.

The post Emma Raducanu’s remaining tournaments for 2025, how many points is she defending? appeared first on Tennis365.

With all four Grand Slam events for 2025 done and dusted, all eyes are slowly turning towards the Asian Swing — one of the most intriguing and crucial parts of the season.

The biggest WTA stars will be in action at the WTA 1000 China Open and Wuhan Open later in the swing, but some players are choosing to kick off their swing a little earlier at the Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul.

The event in the Korean capital was upgraded to WTA 500 status in 2024, with Beatriz Haddad Maia defeating Daria Kasatkina in the final, and remains a 500-level event for 2025, with action underway next week.

Here, we look at all you need to know in the run-up to the tournament.

Who are the biggest names in action?

Undeniably, the biggest star in action will be world No 2 and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, who is set to return in Seoul after her quarter-final exit at the US Open.

The Pole is set to be the top seed at the WTA 500 event, with new world No 4 and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova — the woman who beat Swiatek in New York — set to be the second seed.

Swiatek and Anisimova are set to be the only top-10 players in action, though world No 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova and world No 12 Clara Tauson are also currently both entered.

2024 runner-up Kasatkina and Diana Shnaider round up the top-20 stars in action at the event, with Veronika Kudermetova and defending champion Haddad Maia rounding out the eight seeds.

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Outside of them, the biggest star in action is Emma Raducanu, who has opted to withdraw from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and instead take a wildcard into the WTA 500 event.

Raducanu was a quarter-finalist twelve months ago, retiring against Kasatkina due to injury.

Other notable names set to be in action include former Grand Slam winner Sofia Kenin and French Open star Lois Boisson.

Ranking points

A full official ranking points breakdown is yet to be confirmed for the 2025 event, though it is unlikely to have changed from 12 months ago.

As a WTA 500 event, the eventual champion will earn 500 ranking points, with the tournament runner-up likely set to receive 325 points.

Beaten semi-finalists are likely to earn 195 points and quarter-finalists 108 points, with 60 points awarded in round two, and one point awarded in round one.

Prize money

A round-by-round prize money windfall is yet to be released, though the overall tournament prize money package has increased from 2024.

This year, a total of $1,064,510 is available across the entire event, up from the $922,573 available across both the singles and doubles competitions from last year.

Haddad Maia received $142,000 for her triumph in 2024, so the eventual champion will likely receive an increase on that.

Draw date

The main draw will begin on Monday, September 15th, with qualifying set to begin two days before on Saturday.

The date for the official draw is yet to be confirmed, though is likely to take place on either Friday or Saturday.

Entry List

1) Iga Swiatek
2) Amanda Anisimova
3) Ekaterina Alexandrova
4) Clara Tauson
5) Daria Kasatkina
6) Diana Shnaider
7) Veronika Kudermetova
8) Beatriz Haddad Maia
(WC) Emma Raducanu
(PR) Sorana Cirstea
Lois Boisson
Jaqueline Cristian
Maya Joint
Sofia Kenin
McCartney Kessler
Ashlyn Krueger
Tatjana Maria
Anastasia Potapova
Remainder of field confirmed by further wildcards and qualifiers

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The post 2025 Korea Open entry list, prize money, points, draw date: Swiatek, Raducanu, Anisimova lead field appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been busy the past month as they reached the finals of back-to-back tournaments in North America, but both will take some time off to recoup, although one will take an extended break.

Following their run to the Wimbledon final where Sinner emerged victorious, the top two players in the world decided to skip the Canadian Open before returning to action at the Cincinnati Open.

They once again reached the final with Alcaraz lifting the trophy after his rival retired while trailing 0-5 due to illness, before they were once again the last two men standing in the US Open final with the Spaniard once again going on to win the title.

They both played 13 matches in the space of a month, although one of those encounters (the Cincinnati final) didn’t last long.

Alcaraz was next due to be in action this week as he was part of Spain’s squad for the Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round rubber against Denmark in Marbella, but he has withdrawn with a statement saying it is due to fatigue, which is completely understandable.

With Italy already secured of their place in the Davis Cup Final 8 play-offs in Bologna, Sinner won’t be in action either.

Six-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz will now return to competitive tennis at the Laver Cup as he will represent Team Europe along with Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli in San Francisco.

It will be his second appearance at the annual team event following his debut in 2024 while Sinner has once again opted not to take part.

Alcaraz and Sinner will then return to regular ATP Tour action at the Asia swing, but they have decided to play in different events with the latter sticking with the China Open while the Spaniard will make his debut at the Japan Open with both events running from September 24-30.

Both played in Beijing last year and they reached the final with Alcaraz winning a pulsating final in three sets.

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The next time the top two in the ATP Rankings will feature at the same tournament will be the Shanghai Masters, which gets underway on October 1 with Sinner the defending champion after beating Novak Djokovic in the final 12 motnhs ago. Alcaraz, meanwhile, lost in the quarter-final against Tomas Machac.

Their schedules for the final few weeks of the regular season remain up in the air as they didn’t feature at the 2024 Vienna Open or Swiss Indoors before Alcaraz returned at the Paris Masters, losing in the third round.

Sinner was initially on the entry list, but withdrew due to illness.

But there is no doubt both will feature at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin if they are fit and healthy with both already secured of their places at the tournament.

The post Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s next tournaments: When could they meet again? appeared first on Tennis365.

Aryna Sabalenka started the 2025 North American swing as a woman under pressure, but she finished the series firmly at No 1 while the likes of Amanda Anisimova, Naomi Osaka and Victoria Mboko were the big risers.

The hard-court swing comprised of six tournaments – the Citi DC Open, Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, Monterrey Open, Tennis in the Land and the US Open – and started on July 21 in Washington DC and finished on September 8 at Flushing Meadows.

Six different players won those tournaments with Leylah Fernandez winning in DC, Mboko lifting the trophy in Montreal, Iga Swiatek was victorious in Cincinnati, Diana Shnaider was the last player standing in Mexico, Sorana Cîrstea was successful in Cleveland before Sabalenka won in New York.

The successful defence of her US Open crown helped Sabalenka to not only remain at No 1 in the WTA Rankings, but she still has a healthy lead over her closest rivals despite not playing in Canada and losing early in Cincinnati.

WTA Top 10 North American Swing

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 12,420 points
2. Coco Gauff – 7,669
3. Iga Swiatek – 6,813
4. Jessica Pegula – 6,423
5. Mirra Andreeva – 5,163
6. Zheng Qinwen – 4,553
7. Amanda Anisimova – 4,470
8. Madison Keys – 4,373
9. Jasmine Paolini – 4,576
10. Paola Badosa – 3,454

Selected Others:
11. Emma Navarro – 3,420
46. Emma Raducanu – 1,211
51. Naomi Osaka – 1,154
65. Marketa Vondrousova – 943
69. Alex Eala – 936
78. Barbora Krejcikova – 854
88. Victoria Mboko – 811
94. Cristina Bucsa – 773

Sabalenka started the swing with a 4,751-point advantage over Gauff with Swiatek another 856 points adrift in third place and her No 1 status was under threat at the US Open as both had an opportunity to overtake her, but she kept them at bay and finished with a 3,292-point advantage.

Gauff and Swiatek swapped places with the former back at No 2 on the back of winning the Cincinnati title and her run to the quarter-final in New York. The American, meanwhile, lost in the fourth round in Canada, the quarters in Ohio and the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

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There is a new No 4 in Amanda Anisimova as she backed up her Wimbledon runners-up trophy with another finals run at the US Open, climbing three places with Jessica Pegula dropping three spots.

Now for a look at those outside the top 10 who had incredible success the past two months with former world No 1 Osaka now back inside the top 20 following her success in Montreal and the US Open.

Osaka has surged 37 places to No 14 after finishing runner-up at the Canadian Open before reaching the semi-final of the US Open.

The player who beat her to the title in Canada, Mboko, was at No 88 on July 21 and she now finds herself at No 23 (+65) as she earned 1,000 points for her title run on home soil before skipping the Cincinnati event. Mboko then lost in the first round of the US Open.

Emma Raducanu didn’t really kick on after reaching the semi-final in DC as she fell in the third round at her next three events, but she will be happy with her +12 jump to No 34 as she is on the cusp of being seeded at Grand Slams now.

2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova jumped 42 places on the back of reaching the quarter-final at the US Open and fellow Czech and two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova is +38 after her run to the last eight.

Alex Eala became the first Filipino woman to win a Grand Slam singles match before losing in the second round at the US Open, before entering a WTA 125K event in Mexico. She went on to win that second-tier tournament and, as a result, is up eight places to No 61.

WTA Top 10 After US Open

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,225 points
2. Iga Swiatek – 7,933
3. Coco Gauff – 7,874
4. Amanda Anisimova – 5,159
5. Mirra Andreeva – 4,793
6. Madison Keys – 4,579
7. Jessica Pegula – 4,383
8. Jasmine Paolini – 4,006
9. Zheng Qinwen – 4,003
10. Elena Rybakina – 3,833

Selected Others:
14. Naomi Osaka – 2,489
18. Emma Navarro – 2,310
20. Paola Badosa – 2,195
23. Victoria Mboko – 1,841
34. Emma Raducanu – 1,546
36. Marketa Vondrousova – 1,443
40. Barbora Krejcikova – 1,344
61. Alex Eala – 1,054
62. Cristina Bucsa – 1,025

The post WTA Rankings Winners & Losers North American swing: Sabalenka No 1, Osaka +37, Mboko +65, Raducanu +12 appeared first on Tennis365.

It was after a defeat against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon that the word ‘predictable’ was thrown in Jannik Sinner’s direction and he didn’t hesitate to raise the issue himself after his defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final.

Djokovic offered up some words of advice to Sinner via his coach Darren Cahill after that loss on grass courts at the All England Club, with the Italian urged to add more layers to his game by the most successful make tennis player of all time.

“One of the players that I tapped on the shoulder — he (Sinner) lost to Novak a couple of years ago at Wimbledon in five sets. Won the first two sets, Novak came back and ran away with it,” explained the Australian, in an appearance on the Served podcast.

“Novak got used to his ball, got used to the shape, got used to the pace and then just locked in, like Novak does, and doesn’t miss. And won the last three sets reasonably easily.

“And I saw Novak, and he’s always great with this, he’s always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, ‘Hey listen, I’ve just started with Jannik, don’t tell me anything you don’t want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?’ And he was incredible.

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“He basically said, ‘Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there’s no variation. So you know, there’s no shape on his shot. There’s no height over the net. Doesn’t come to the net. He’s not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he’s not attacking my serve on the return of serve.

“So he went through his whole game and broke it down. It wasn’t like it was revelations to what we didn’t know about Jannik and what we were trying to change in his game.

“But when you take that conversation and sit down with a young man like Jannik Sinner and say,’ Hey, listen, I just spoke to Novak and this is what he thinks’, that leaves a big impression on a young player. So for Jannik it’s: ‘Right, give it to me. Let’s start doing these changes’.”

The changes Sinner and his team made have had a spectacular impact, with Sinner sweeping up four Grand Slam titles over the last couple of years and rising to No 1 in the ATP Rankings, but Sunday’s US Open final defeat against Alcaraz left the impression that the tide has turned in their battle.

Alcaraz admitted he needed to make improvements after he lost against Sinner and Wimbledon and now the Italian is in the role of the chaser, as he looks up at new world No 1 Alcaraz and plots a way to knock him off his perch.

“I was very predictable today,” conceded Sinner. “He did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays now it’s gonna be on me if I want to make changes or not, you know, so that’s definitely, we are gonna work on that. Trying to be more prepared for the next match, what I will play against him.

“It also, I feel like, depends how you arrive to play against Carlos. You know, one thing is when the scoreline matches before it’s comfortable. But you always do the same things, you know, like I did, for example, during this tournament.

“I didn’t make one volley, you know, I didn’t use a lot of drop shots. And then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos when, where you have to go out of the comfort zone so I’m gonna aim to, you know, maybe even losing some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player and because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.”

Sinner has often spoken about his desire to improve his net play and he also hinted he would need to add more consistency to his first serve, after a match when his first serves, in particular, misfired.

The calm and composed Sinner did not look like a man panicking after his chastening defeat against Alcaraz, but he knows nothing but his A-game will do when he faces his biggest rival.

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The post Jannik Sinner echoed the sentiments of Novak Djokovic as he made a brutally honest US Open confession appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner enjoyed a remarkable Grand Slam season in 2025 as he won two titles and finished runner-up in the other two finals, but he admits his loss in the US Open showpiece match to Carlos Alcaraz will lead to change.

Sinner started the tournament at No 1 in the ATP Rankings, having sat at the top since June 2024, but his run came to an end after Alcaraz produced a clinical display at Flushing Meadows, securing a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory to win the US Open final and move to six Grand Slams.

With the win, the Spaniard also replaced Sinner at No 1 in the rankings and many feel he could now go on to dominate men’s tennis.

But Sinner is ready for the challenge as he revealed in his post-match press conference that he will need to make changes to his game if he is to beat his great rival, even if it means losing some matches along the way.

Full Jannik Sinner press conference after US Open final:

Q: Hey, Jannik, well done this tournament. How was Carlos different today than the player that you have faced in the past, even as recently as Wimbledon?

Jannik Sinner: “Oh, no, he has improved. I felt like was a bit cleaner today, you know, the things that I did well in London, he did better today and you know, that’s the result. So, you know, I felt like he was doing everything slightly better today, especially serving both sides, both swings, very clean and yeah, I think that’s it.

“You know I’ll give lots of credit to him, because he handled the situation better than I did and he raised his level when he had to. And so, yeah, I mean, I’m still proud of myself about, you know, the season I’m playing and making, but he played better than me today.”

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Q: Jannik, when you think about that season that you just referenced that you said you’re proud of, what are your thoughts looking ahead to where this rivalry can go?

JS: “Well, you know, I was very predictable today, you know, on court in a way of. He did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays now it’s gonna be on me if I want to make changes or not, you know, so that’s definitely, we are gonna work on that. Trying to be more prepared for the next match, what I will play against him.

“It also, I feel like, depends how you arrive to play against Carlos. You know, one thing is when the scoreline matches before it’s comfortable. But you always do the same things, you know, like I did, for example, during this tournament.

“I didn’t make one volley, you know, I didn’t use a lot of drop shots. And then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos when, where you have to go out of the comfort zone so I’m gonna aim to, you know, maybe even losing some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player and because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.

“At the end of the day, that’s my main goal. I think that’s it. But overall, you know, the season result-wise, amazing, four Grand Slam finals in the year, two Grand Slams won, two times lost in the final. It’s incredible results. So I’m very happy and now we try to finish the year as strong as we can.”

Q: Jannik obviously there was a significant delay to the start of the match today. I wonder what your experience of that was in terms of how you dealt with it, how you received the news, kind of what that was like.

JS: “It was fine. They told us in a huge amount before that it might start at 2:30, so we were not warming up twice, it was all fine.”

Q: How would you describe the biggest difference in facing Carlos versus facing other players?

JS: “Well, we have maybe more history also in back of us so every match is different. He’s just a different player; it’s very simple. He’s, he doesn’t have weaknesses, for example, which maybe some players have weaknesses then you try to play tactically in a way, but I feel like mostly we have some history, some head-to-head, some different surface battles now, and I think that makes it quite, quite interesting.”

Q: Normally for a Grand Slam final, you’d walk out and the stadium would be full, obviously with people queuing outside. That wasn’t the case today. I just wondered how kind of disappointing was that if you looked up and saw empty seats for the first set?

JS: “You know, I wasn’t actually realizing it that much. I felt like it was still very loud. I saw some empty seats, but I had no doubts that they’re gonna, they are gonna be full and packed. But, you know, it’s not a thing where I was like worried, you know, that no people will come. It was an amazing atmosphere.”

Q: How much do you think that you can change your sort of practice habits and your training habits to do things that are specific to playing Alcaraz in the future? How much can you sort of reprogram a bit of your.

JS: “I don’t think it’s gonna be specific for Carlos. I think it’s specific for me, trying to get better, I think it’s that. As I said, I feel like today he was cleaner than I was, that what I did great in London, he did the same to me here.

“It’s a little bit like that for sure. Serve today was not on point, I felt that was I was struggling a lot today, but it was already struggling during the tournament. But it takes time. You know, one secret is also patience. It’s not like from now and then in Beijing, I’m gonna be a lefty, so let’s see. It’s gonna take time. And then we see. Look, maybe it’s just a small thing. Maybe I can change big. I don’t know. So let’s see.”

Q: You mentioned that playing Carlos is an additional challenge because he’s so different from playing everyone else. Is it also hard because you tend to not have really tough matches? I know that they’re hard to win always, but, you know, you didn’t drop a set reaching the French Open final. Does that make it hard as well, coming into a huge match when you haven’t been properly tested going in?

JS: “I said, you know, the match against Felix was good for me, because you have these moments where you get tested also emotionally a little bit. But I don’t think it’s only if you get tested or not. It’s, as I said before, how much of a game style you put in also to arrive to that point, and I’m a very, very solid, you know, baseliner. I’m a very strong hitter. I’m a good player, but sometimes adding just something.

“I think that’s gonna make a difference from my personal point of view, that I can say that I’m gonna become a better tennis player and 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.

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

The post Jannik Sinner’s full press conference as he makes confession about being ‘ready to lose matches’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz may have looked relaxed as he served out the final game of the US Open final against Jannik Sinner, but the 22-year-old has admitted he was ‘scared’ after he failed to convert his first two match points in front of a raucous crowd.

Sinner was in a very similar position to Alcaraz at the French Open final back in June, as he reached two match points in the fourth set and failed to convert.

An hour or so later, he was coming to terms with the toughest defeat of his career and after Alcaraz failed to convert his two match points at 5-4 in the fourth set, his mind may have wandered back to that memorable final in Paris, as he pondered whether history was about to repeat itself in reverse order.

Alcaraz revealed his trademark smile as he moved to a third match point and he won the match with a brilliant serve that brought a huge roar from the sell-out crowd, which included US President Donald Trump.

That smile is used by Alcaraz to defuse his tension and in a candid interview with ESPN, he admitted his apparent composure on court was not the emotion he felt in his mind.

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“I was scared, I’m not gonna lie,” admitted Alcaraz, when he was asked by James Blake about the big smile he revealed at such a high-pressure moment.

“Smiling is something that help me a lot to pull out all the nerves. Thanks to that, it seems like I’m having fun. I like this moment, I like the challenge. I like the most difficult moments in the match. That why I show my best tennis in those moments.

“This is the final of a Grand Slam. There is nothing to be scared about, nothing to worry about. Just to smile.”

Alcaraz admitted he has been working on his serve since Sinner handed him a pretty heavy defeat in the Wimbledon final, but he admitted the challenge of beating his biggest remains the toughest test in tennis.

“It’s not simple,” added Alcaraz. “I would say playing against Jannik is the most difficult challenge we have in tennis.

“Physically, he has improved a lot and it is really difficult to find holes in his games.

“We have played many, many times, but it is not the same as when we played one year ago. Tactially, we are improving and next time we play against each other, Jannik will do something different and I have to be ready for that.”

Alcaraz’s win fired him back to the top of the ATP Rankings and with limited points to defend for the rest of 2025 compared to Sinner, he has a great chance to stay there through to the end of the season.

The next big Grand Slam showdown between these two great champions could come at the Australian Open in January and if Alcaraz lifts the title in Melbourne, he will join the elite list of players who have won all four of the major titles in tennis.

READ NEXT: Former world No 1 makes bold Carlos Alcaraz Grand Slam prediction after US Open win

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