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Main draw action at the 2025 Shanghai Masters gets underway on Wednesday October 1, but who will lift the title at the biggest men’s tournament staged in Asia?

The Masters 1000 tournament at the Forest Sports City Arena features 96 main draw players, with the 32 seeds receiving a first round bye. The final will be played on October 12.

Here, we make our predictions for the Shanghai Masters.

First quarter

Projected QF: Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Alex de Minaur (7)

Carlos Alcaraz has reached his ninth consecutive final at the Japan Open and he will aim to win a maiden title in Shanghai, where he is yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals.

The world No 1’s projected route to the quarter-finals is: 2R — Learner Tien/Miomir Kecmanovic, 3R — Cameron Norrie (30), 4R — Daniil Medvedev (16)/Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (18).

In the quarter-finals, he could face Alex de Minaur (7) or Karen Khachanov (9), with Stefanos Tsitsipas (24) and Brandon Nakashima (29) the other seeded players in the section. De Minaur’s recent form has been far more impressive than that of Khachanov.

Alcaraz is currently the man to beat in the men’s game, with the ankle issue that surfaced in his opening match in Tokyo the only slight concern.

Quarter-final prediction: Alcaraz d. de Minaur 

Second quarter

Projected QF: Alexander Zverev (3) vs Lorenzo Musetti (8)

Alexander Zverev suffered a third round exit at the US Open and lost both of his matches at the Laver Cup, but he has got back to winning ways in Beijing.

The world No 3’s projected path to the last eight is: 2R – Mariano Navone/Qualifier, 3R – Alex Michelsen (28), 4R – Jiri Lehecka (15)/Denis Shapovalov (23). Michelsen, Lehecka and Shapovalov could all be dangerous opponents for Zverev given his unconvincing form.

It has been a great month for Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the 2025 US Open semi-finals before getting married in Marrakech.

The No 12 seed may face 17th seed Jakub Mensik in the third round and Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16. This could be a good opportunity for the Canadian, who upset Zverev during his US Open run.

Quarter-final prediction: Auger-Aliassime d. Zverev

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Third quarter

Projected QF: Novak Djokovic (4) vs Ben Shelton (6)

Novak Djokovic, who is returning to action after his US Open semi-final run, has won a record four Shanghai titles and was a runner-up last year.

The 24-time major winner’s projected path to the quarter-finals is: 2R — Marin Cilic/Corentin Moutet, 3R — Frances Tiafoe (25), 4R — Andrey Rublev (13)/Flavio Cobolli (22).

Ben Shelton is playing for the first time since injury derailed his US Open campaign, and he could face Gabriel Diallo (31) in the third round and Casper Ruud (11) in the last 16.

A long-awaited rematch of Djokovic and Shelton’s spicy 2023 US Open semi-final would be intriguing. It is hard to look past the great Serbian here given his record at the event and questions over Shelton’s fitness.

Quarter-final prediction: Djokovic d. Shelton

Fourth quarter

Projected QF: Jannik Sinner (2) vs Taylor Fritz (5)

Jannik Sinner is the reigning champion in Shanghai and will arrive after a deep run at the China Open in Beijing.

The world No 2’s projected path to the quarter-finals is: 2R — Daniel Altmaier/Qualifier, 3R — Tallon Griekspoor (27), 4R — Alexander Bublik (14)/Tomas Machac (20).

Taylor Fritz is the favourite to meet Sinner in the last eight, but faces a tricky-looking draw: 2R – Fabian Marozsan/Stan Wawrinka, 3R — Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (32), 4R — Holger Rune (10).

Sinner holds a 4-1 record against Fritz and won the pair’s three most recent meetings — which were all in 2024 — in straight sets. The Italian’s record on hard courts since late-2023 is outstanding.

Quarter-final prediction: Sinner d. Fritz 

Semi-final and Final Predictions

Semi-finals:

Alcaraz d. Auger-Aliassime in 2 sets  

Sinner d. Djokovic in 2 sets 

Final:

Alcaraz d. Sinner in 3 sets

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz gets ‘miracle’ verdict as he is compared to Rafael Nadal by Spanish legend

The post Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner again; Novak Djokovic to star – our Shanghai Masters predictions appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek is safely through to the fourth round of the China Open, and it is hard to see who will stop the world No 2 and top seed at the WTA 1000 event this week.

After setting several impressive milestones during her opening win over Yuan Yue on Saturday, the Pole was on court for just six games in her third-round match on Monday, with Camila Osorio retiring after the opening set of their encounter.

Victory for Swiatek powers her into a fourth-round contest against 16th seed Emma Navarro — an opponent she holds a 2-0 head-to-head against — and puts her in a strong position to continue a potential challenge to Aryna Sabalenka’s world No 1 ranking.

Here, we look at how close Swiatek can now get to challenging her greatest rival in Beijing this week.

Sabalenka’s status

Sabalenka has been ranked as the world No 1 since October last year, and still has a commanding lead as things stand.

However, the Belarusian will likely be affected by rules regarding WTA Ranking ‘mandatory’ events, and will drop 215 quarter-finalist points from last year’s China Open after her withdrawal from this year’s tournament.

Currently on 11,225 points, Sabalenka will drop to 11,010 points when the WTA Rankings officially drop post-tournament.

Heading into the China Open, Swiatek held 8,433 points.

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How much ground can Swiatek make up?

Having been provisionally suspended during the China Open last year, Swiatek has no points to defend at the tournament in 2025 — something that gave her a huge advantage from a rankings perspective.

The world No 2 cannot directly return to the top of the WTA Rankings with a strong run in Beijing, but has already begun to make some ground on Sabalenka after her opening two victories.

With 120 points to her name, thanks to reaching round four, Swiatek is already up to 8,533 points in the WTA Live Rankings.

That places her within 2,500 points of Sabalenka — still a significant gap — but Swiatek can make up significant ground, especially considering that the world No 1 has 1,000 points to defend as the Wuhan Open champion next week.

Should the Pole defeat Navarro in Wednesday’s fourth-round clash and reach the last eight, that would move her to 8,648 points, up 215 points in the WTA Rankings.

However, if she were to progress to the semi-final, she would move up to an impressive 8,823 points, and she would hit the 9,000-point milestone with a run to the final.

A runner-up finish would put Swiatek on 9,083 points, while a run to the title would place her on 9,433 points.

Those results would put the Pole within 2,000 points of Sabalenka in the WTA Rankings, something that would be significant heading into the Wuhan Open.

With Sabalenka defending 1,000 points and Swiatek defending no points, it would be mathematically possible for the six-time Grand Slam champion to regain the No 1 ranking at the event.

Swiatek’s China Open ranking point possibilities

Champion: 9,433 (+1,000)
Runner-up: 9,083 (+650)
Semi-final: 8,823 (+390)
Quarter-final: 8,648 (+215)
Round 4: 8,553 (+120)

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The post WTA Rankings: How close can Iga Swiatek get to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at China Open? appeared first on Tennis365.

For parents hungry to get their children into professional tennis, joining academies can be an attractive prospect but one that will also hit your wallet.

The practice is nothing new with the likes of Novak Djokovic, the Williams sisters and Andy Murray also spending part of their youth at academies but for everyone that makes it, there are dozens of other players who never get close to the tour.

Here are some of the most renowned academies in the world and how much it costs to study the game there:

The Mouratoglou Tennis Academy – Biot, France

Patrick Mouratoglou is one of the most famous coaches in tennis and has his own academy in his home country, France.

Established in 1996, it was originally named after fellow coach Bob Brett who Mouratoglou learned his trade from but was renamed in 2002 and in 2016 it moved to Biot on the French Riviera, just 15 minutes away from Nice Airport.

One of the main selling points of the academy is the weather as they boast ‘320 days of sunshine a year’. The facility is also enormous with 12 hectares including 33 clay and hard courts as well as other sports like padel and an athletics track.

With 50,000 students having walked through the door, it has become one of the most well-known academies in the world, even setting up centres in China, Greece, Italy, Malaysia and the UAE but staying in this Riviera paradise will cost you.

A full academic year is around €38,000 with an additional €14,000-€25,000 for accommodation.

Total: €63,000

Former students: Holger Rune, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Rafa Nadal Academy – Manacor, Spain

If you fancied getting coached by one of the best players ever to pick up a racket, well your dream came true in 2016 when Rafa Nadal opened his own academy.

Set up with his uncle Toni, the base is in Nadal’s hometown of Manacor and has 45 tennis courts. Of those, 23 are hard with the other 22 being clay.

As for the coaching, while Nadal will not be there every day, the website says a team has worked with the 22-time Grand Slam winner to develop a ‘unique training system’.

The academy leans heavily into technology and says that as the game is ‘moving towards a faster form of play’, players ‘must be prepared to make decisions very quickly.’

To do this, they focus on training the eyes then the mind then the legs and then the hands with the belief that this way is how you get the best tennis players.

Accommodation-wise, there is a bit of a uni vibe to some of the rooms but at least you get all your meals cooked for you.

To get all this, your parents will have to stump up €56,000.

Cost: €56,000

Former students: No notable ones as of yet but only opened in 2016

IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida, United States

With 25.7 million Americans playing the sport, it is unsurprising that one of the biggest tennis academies in the world is in the United States.

The IMG Academy is in Bradenton, Florida and is an enormous base, stretching over 600 acres. It was set up in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri and is not solely for tennis with football, soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball and hockey programmes available for the students.

Tennis-wise, there are 62 courts (35 hard, 18 clay, and 9 indoor) and a dedicated ‘Tennis Center’ where coaches and players can analyse their game using technology.

The academy’s best year came in 1987 when 32 alumni were in the draw for Wimbledon. Given its history, it also has plenty of famous players to brag about including Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

But it comes at a cost with prices running from $51,100 to $53,300. With this you get tuition as well as tennis coaching but there are other fees to pay such as your US health insurance.

Cost: $53,300 (€45,545.65) + fees

Former students: Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova

Emilio Sánchez Academy – Barcelona, Spain

Nadal is not the only former pro to have an academy in Spain as Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Sergio Casal set up their own base in 1998.

The Emilio Sánchez Academy is right next to Barcelona airport and has 27 courts, varying between hard, clay and grass.

It also has some pretty impressive alumni, including Grigor Dimitrov and Juan Monaco while Andy Murray moved there when he was 15.

But using the same facilities as the Scot does not come cheap and the fees are around €50,000.

 

Cost: €50,000

Former students: Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov and Juan Monaco

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy – Villena, Alicante, Spain

Having the current men’s No.1 as one of your former students is an impressive accolade and currently that honour goes to the Ferrero Tennis Academy.

Based in south east Spain near the city of Villena, there are 12 clay courts, 13 hard courts (one of which is named after Alcaraz) and a grass court. It would not be Spain if there were not some padel courts too with eight on site.

Coaching wise, the academy does not have too many spots per year as they prefer to go for a ‘highly personalised training’ routine.

Total training time per week is 33-38 hours on the weekday with the weekends off for recovery and along with Alcaraz, the likes of David Ferrer and Pablo Carreño trained there.

The cost of training here is around €58,392 per year with accommodation included.

Cost: €58,392

Former students: Carlos Alcaraz, David Ferrer and Pablo Carreño

Swiss Tennis Academy – Bern, Switzerland

Considering his impact on the game, it is somewhat surprising that Roger Federer does not have his own academy but one is at least named after him.

The Swiss Tennis Academy is on Roger-Federer-Allee 1 and is led by Tom Simmen. It is not the biggest academy in the world, even describing itself as ‘small but nice’ but that size allows it to focus more on the students.

They state the goal is for the juniors to either represent their countries or gain scholarships for the ‘best American universities’ and it is one of the cheaper academies at €35,340.

Cost: €35,340

Former students: No notable ones

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz ‘can go to another level’ by making one change, says Serena Williams’ ex-coach

The post What are the best tennis academies in the world and how much do they cost? appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff is the reigning champion at the China Open, and she has advanced to the last 16 at the 2025 event with two victories, but how has her serve performed so far?

The American star hit the most double faults among all WTA players in 2024 (430) and also leads the tour in this unwanted statistic so far this season. Gauff’s serve was particularly troublesome during events in Montreal and Cincinnati in July and August.

In the week before the US Open last month, Gauff made the big call to split with her coach Matt Daly, who helped her secure her second Grand Slam title at the French Open in June.

The world No 3 hired biomechanical expert Gavin MacMillan with the aim of solving her serving issues. MacMillan previously helped Aryna Sabalenka fix her own double faulting problems.

With MacMillan’s guidance, Gauff made a change to her service motion despite the short window before the start of the US Open. Gauff showed great resilience to reach the fourth round in New York amid struggles with her game before falling to a lopsided defeat to Naomi Osaka.

Gauff has admitted that she is treating her Beijing title defence “like a practice tournament” and that she is using this part of the calendar “as a pre-season.” She also confirmed MacMillan is not with her in China due to other commitments.

Gauff’s serve at the 2025 China Open

In her opening match in Beijing, Gauff earned a convincing 6-4, 6-0 win against 89th-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova.

The serving numbers were encouraging for Gauff as she landed 69% of her first serves and won 66% of her total service points (72% of points on her first serve and 53% on her second serve).

Gauff served four aces and committed five double faults, and she saved all 10 of the break points the 24-year-old Russian had on her serve in the match.

In her second match, Gauff was pushed much harder as she overcame world No 25 Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 47 minutes.

The American hit four aces, made 62% of her first serves and won a solid 66% of points behind her first delivery, but her second serve was a bigger issue.

Gauff won just 37% (14 of 38) of her second serve points as she hit nine double faults, and she was broken seven times having faced 10 break points.

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Two of Gauff’s three double faults in the first set came in the same game as Fernandez broke back for 4-4, but ultimately, it did not prove costly. In the second set, Gauff hit two double faults and won 40% of her second serve points as the 23-year-old Canadian levelled the match.

Despite being broken in her first two service games in the deciding set, Gauff broke Fernandez four straight times to establish a 5-2, double break lead.

Gauff’s five double faults and lowly 20% of second serve points won in the third set threatened to derail her as she was twice broken when serving for the match and pegged back to 5-5 before finally prevailing.

It is clear that Gauff’s serve is a work in progress and that it will take time for her to reap the rewards of the technical changes she is implementing.

In the short term, the second serve in particular seems to still be a concern, but it is encouraging that the double fault numbers have not been as high as they were prior to her work with MacMillan.

Gauff has again proven her mental toughness and showcased her ability to survive tough matches in which her serve is hampering her.

What did Gauff say after her win over Fernandez?

In her press conference after beating Fernandez, Gauff said: “I played Leylah earlier this year and I knew it was going to be a tougher match today just because I felt like she was playing some good tennis.

“She beat Maria [Sakkari], like, in a good score [in her previous match]. All the matches she won in DC. I knew she would approach this match differently. I had to adjust. But I’m happy to get through.

“Yeah, I mean, the conditions were so slow, which I feel like she does well with that because she likes to take the ball so early. So I felt like my heaviness wasn’t doing a lot with her, like, as the balls got older.

“I found when I had new balls, I would win like two or three games in a row. I think the toughest part was just dealing with the conditions and trying to feel like I could hit through her, but I couldn’t do that as well today as I felt like I did earlier this year.”

Asked what happened in the second set, Gauff said: “I mean, it was a back-and-forth set. I had chances I think in the 2-All or 3-2 game to break. I felt like I got a little bit too passive. Then that last game, couple doubles. I don’t even remember what happened.

“But she played well. I mean, I knew, like, how the first set went, it was kind of back and forth. A couple points don’t go your way and you lose the set. But yeah, she definitely played great tennis. I thought she was being aggressive, striking the ball pretty well. She wasn’t really giving me much free points either.

“Yeah, I think I wish I was more aggressive in some moments. I could tell she stepped up the aggressiveness in the second. I think in that 3-2 game on those break points I should have put the ball deeper and maybe tried to get her to open up the court.”

Gauff will face 15th seed Belinda Bencic in the last 16 in Beijing.

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The post How has Coco Gauff’s serve performed at the China Open – and is it a concern? appeared first on Tennis365.

Watching Carlos Alcaraz in full flight is a sight to behold for tennis fans, and the Spaniard treated the Japan Open crowd to that experience with his quarter-final display.

Alcaraz was at his devastating best as he saw off world No 33 Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 to progress to the semi-finals at the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo.

The world No 1 is making his debut in Japan, and there was concern over his fitness after he hurt his ankle during his opening round win over Sebastian Baez. He recovered, though, to down Zizou Bergs in the second round, and his latest performance suggests he has put the issue behind him.

Alcaraz was dominant on serve against Nakashima as he landed 67% of his first serves and lost just eight service points in total (winning 83% on first serve and 80% on second serve).

Nakashima, who possesses an impressive serve, landed 72% of his first serves, but he was still broken three times and faced seven break points in total.

Alcaraz won 64 of the 109 total points played and won 39 of these points with clean winners — an astonishing tally in a two-set match. Just one of these winners was an ace, with Alcaraz blasting 25 forehand winners and 12 backhand winners.

Despite his aggression, the six-time Grand Slam champion committed only 18 unforced errors. He won 34 of the 53 points played at the baseline and 11 of the 14 points in which he came to the net.

The ATP Tour’s Tennis Insights data analytics model gave Alcaraz’s forehand and backhand staggering ratings of 9.7 and 9.5 out of 10 respectively.

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After Nakashima saved three match points while serving at 3-5 in the second set, Alcaraz closed out the contest in staggering fashion on his own serve.

Serving at 5-4, Alcaraz struck four sublime winners in a row to hold at love: a jaw-dropping backhand flick on the stretch, a blistering forehand cross-court, a delicate backhand drop volley and a massive forehand inside-in winner.

The perfect game to close a match @carlosalcaraz #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/Y6CNBzBll1

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 28, 2025

On the level he produced in the final game, Alcaraz said: “I always say that closing the match is always difficult, I think even tougher when you face match ball when I was returning, so losing that game, I thought that it was going to be really difficult.

“But I just tried to maintain my focus, I tried to play some great points and tennis in the last game and I haven’t played such a last game like this, so I’m really happy about it.”

Former British No 1 Barry Cowan, who commentated on the match for Tennis TV, was in awe of Alcaraz’s display.

“Alcaraz put on a real show tonight, brilliant,” said Cowan.

“That was worthy of the world No 1, that performance tonight. 39 winners and only one ace, I’m not sure, actually, whether I’ve seen those numbers before in a two-set match.

“I mean, the forehands were outrageous, the pace. Also the variety as well, you think of some of the beautiful, skilful shots at the net, a couple of the good returns. Only 18 unforced errors.

“Utterly dominant on serve, just dropped five points on first serve, three points on second serve.

“Overall, that felt like a real privilege to watch that from Alcaraz tonight. 80 minutes of spellbinding tennis.”

Alcaraz will take on world No 12 Casper Ruud in the last four in Tokyo.

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The post The staggering numbers behind Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘spellbinding’ Japan Open performance appeared first on Tennis365.

Legendary coach Rick Macci has urged Carlos Alcaraz to experiment with tweaking his service motion as he feels this is the way the Spanish superstar can reach “another level.”

Alcaraz has been lauded for his incredibly complete game since his rise to the top of tennis, with his serve often identified as the area with the most room for improvement.

The world No 1 has long been able to find huge power with his serve, but accuracy and consistency have eluded him at times.

Alcaraz struggling on serve was a key factor in his four-set loss to Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Wimbledon final as he landed just 53% of his first serves.

However, Alcaraz’s serve was outstanding throughout his run to his sixth Grand Slam title at the 2025 US Open.

In his seven matches in New York, the 22-year-old lost serve only three times and faced just 10 break points — the fewest any player has faced en route to winning a Grand Slam title.

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, Macci named Alcaraz when asked if there are any players he would like the chance to work with or advise.

“Believe it or not, I think, if they wanted to — unless they’re gonna go to a sport science guy — I think Alcaraz should experiment with going to a platform [service motion],” said the American, who has coached five players who became world No 1.

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“I think that is how he can go to another level. Because even though he has a gun, you know he can hit it hard… A few too many double faults, which is okay. He has good courage. But the percentage, in my opinion, is too low.

“And it has nothing to do with his size, because he’s not gonna grow any taller, so it is what it is. I would love just to say, ‘Hey, take the temperature. Try this. And here’s all these corrective techniques and see what you like.’

“The best players in any sport, especially tennis because it’s so technical-based, they all tweak. And the serve is one of the easier things to modify if you understand the science part of it because there’s no movement involved. ”

Macci also addressed whether Alcaraz’s serve improving further would give him the edge in his rivalry with Sinner.

“100%, and that will be the edge. I know he changed his takeback, I think that helped him maybe a little bit,” Macci assessed.

“But listen, it is what it is. It will be interesting to see. Forget me, if they just get a biomechanist involved, a lot of this could be enhanced.

“The problem is, a lot of coaches or travel coaches or whatever, it’s their player, and I get that, but it should be about the player and not about them. And everybody should want a helping hand.

“And a lot of coaches help people based on their experience, how they were taught, what they think, what they hear, what they see. But unless you have a deep understanding of the kinetic chain and how certain things can be done – the human eye can’t even see this, a lot of these things.”

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The post Carlos Alcaraz ‘can go to another level’ by making one change, says Serena Williams’ ex-coach appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu began her debut campaign at the China Open with a convincing win, and she left the crowd in amazement with what she did after the match.

The world No 32 defeated 67th-ranked Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament on Saturday, having received a first round bye as the 30th seed.

Raducanu broke Bucsa four times and lost serve just once as she improved her head-to-head record against the 27-year-old Spaniard to 2-1. She beat Bucsa at the Queen’s Club Championships in June having lost the pair’s first encounter in Singapore in January.

After her victory over Bucsa, Raducanu started her on-court interview in English.

“Yeah, it was super difficult, Cristina was playing amazing today,” said the 2021 US Open champion.

“It’s my first time [playing] here in China, so I’m very happy to have gotten over it, and after a tough one last week, to come back and bounce back.

“I’m going to do my best, I really want to do well here. I’m half Chinese, so it’s great to come back here.”

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Raducanu was born in Toronto, Canada to a Chinese mother, Renee Zhai, and a Romanian father, Ion Raducanu. Renee was in attendance for her daughter’s debut in Beijing.

She grew up in England, with the family having moved to Bromley when she was two years old, but she also speaks Mandarin and Romanian.

The 22-year-old’s mention of being half Chinese drew cheers from the fans in Beijing, and she delighted the crowd further by addressing them in Mandarin.

Emma Raducanu is showing off her excellent mandarin, she’s truly a cool girl! ‍ pic.twitter.com/BKtGiJyTOV

— el (@hideandrise) September 27, 2025

Fans loudly expressed their surprise and approval during Raducanu’s speech, and she has surely only enhanced her popularity in Beijing.

Raducanu could benefit from the support of the local fans again in her next match as she faces a tough test in the form of world No 7 Jessica Pegula.

The Brit holds a 1-2 record against the 31-year-old American star, who she defeated in Eastbourne last year. Pegula won the pair’s most recent clash in three sets in the Miami Open quarter-finals in March.

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Jannik Sinner raised plenty of eyebrows when he suggested he was willing to lose matches in a big to improve after his US Open final defeat against Carlos Alcaraz.

The Italian lost the world No 1 ranking as he was beaten in four sets by his big rival in New York, with Alcaraz’s dominance in the match inspiring Sinner to suggest he needed to remould his game to challenge the young Spaniard.

“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,” said Sinner.

“You know, I’m looking forward to play these matches again, something new is now that I’m not No 1 anymore so you know. Now you chase, it’s different.

“Maybe I will lose some matches from now on, but I will try 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.”

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He went on to expand on those comments ahead of his opening match against former US Open champion Marin Cilic at the China Open in Beijing.

“We’ve been reflecting a lot on that final,” said Sinner. “We are working on new things. We are changing a lot of small things. The amount of mistakes at the moment is, for sure, a little bit higher, but I hope that this recovers.

“It’s just a question of time. I don’t know how much I’m able to [implement changes] on the actual match court because one thing is practise and one thing is match. Let’s see. I’m very motivated.

“It’s great to work on something new, then we see how this ends up. We always try to move forward. One step in front is always better than two steps back. Let’s see what we can do.”

The suggestion that Sinner was willing to ‘lose some matches’ as he experimented with areas of his game was an interesting comment that stirred plenty of debate.

Now the former coach of Grand Slam winners Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka has given his verdict on Sinner’s mindset, with Patrick Mouratoglou suggesting his comments were the mark of a champion who is striving to realise all of his potential on court. 

“Would you be willing to lose today… in order to win tomorrow? Jannik Sinner is. And that’s the sign of the very best,” stated Mouratoglou on LinkedIn.

“After the US Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner admitted: Maybe even losing some matches, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player.

“That statement says a lot. Jannik has realised that if he wants to take the next step, he cannot just rely on what already works. Even though he wins the vast majority of his matches with his current game, he knows he needs to bring more variety, serve & volley, drop shots, change of pace, to beat Carlos.

“But here is the key: what you work on in practice is not enough. If you don’t apply it in matches, it will never become automatic. And in a Grand Slam final, you will always fall back to your habits.

“Back on tour in Beijing, Jannik has made it clear: this won’t be a revolution. He and his team (Darren Cahill & Simone Vagnozzi) are working on small adjustments — like his serve — but the goal is not to change his identity as a player. It’s about adding details, balance, and becoming more complete.

“As he said himself: “It’s not like I’m going to be a completely new player here.” It will take time.

“Jannik is ready to ‘pay the price’ of progress: losing matches now in order to win the biggest ones later. That’s a courageous mindset, and the right one.”

Sinner will look to win tournaments and the big prize money up for grabs over the next few weeks as he aims to modify his game and this masterful performer is more than good enough to continue winning while he is evolving.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner may feel snubbed as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz get top billing

The post Jannik Sinner’s unexpected ‘ready to lose’ confession disected by leading tennis voice appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic has been dismissed as a no-hoper in his bid to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of men’s tennis by Frances Tiafoe, who has come under fire on social media following his contentious comments.

At the age of 38, Djokovic has confirmed he is the third best player in the men’s game after reaching the semi-final of all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Yet the Serbian has admitted he is struggling to find a way past the all-conquering duo of Alcaraz and Sinner in best-of-five-set matches, as he hinted his days of winning Grand Slam titles may be over after the lost in comprehensive fashion against Alcaraz at the US Open earlier this month.

Now American star Tiafoe has caused a stir with some dismissive comments when he was asked whether Djokovic was still a contender to challenge the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis, as he was asked whether he could raise his challenge to challenge the players who have shared the last four Grand Slam titles between them.

“I’m like, yo, who’s that third guy? Who’s that fourth guy?” said Tiafoe, in an interview with the Olympics website.

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“Novak (Djokovic) doesn’t count. He’s 40. I love him, but doesn’t count. He’s 40. He’s a GOAT, he’s the best player of all time. He’s not with those guys.

“Who is that other guy or two to be there and maybe beat these guys? That would be the quote-unquote Novak and (Andy) Murray – before Novak went and did what he did.

“Who are those guys? And there’s a bunch of guys who can be that guy, right? So that’s really motivating me. It’s like, ‘See big picture.’ That’s motivating.”

Tiafoe acknowledged what Alcaraz and Sinner bring to the court, but wants to make them feel uncomfortable.

“Everyone’s puzzle looks different, everyone’s style looks different. But the biggest thing is the intensity they’re playing at, how fast they’re playing at.

“With Jannik, you know what product you’re going to get from him every single day. Alcaraz is more similar to me, as in the flashier talent or whatever, but still, his effort and what he brings out is the same every day.

“If I can get more of that, bring in a high-intensity effort to practice, I’ll be all right.”

Djokovic fans were quick to hit back at Tiafoe on social media and correctly suggest their man got closer to challenging for major titles than the out-of-form American in 2025, but he has vowed to return next year with more to his game.

“You can expect a different version,” added Tiafoe, as he assessed his targets in 2026. “A version that’s yes, he’s going to be a smiling guy, but he’s going to be going to be there f***ing about it and hopefully, hopefully, that gets me to where I’m trying to go,” he continued.

“I’m just trying to gain all the good habits for next year. Next year, I want to have one of the best seasons that I’ve ever had, and I want to start now. I want to start playing the right way, be tough week in, week out.

“Be consistent. Show up. Show up and see where that takes me. Stay in the water for nine months and see what happens. Being super locked in and not bulls***ting and not messing around – see where that takes you.

“And then you look back in nine months to a year and be like ‘yeah, that was cool or maybe I should change this’. But that’s my thing. I just want to keep showing up.

“I got a window. The game’s open, I got a window, I’ve got the capability and the biggest thing probably to being consistent is just be obsessed. You’ve got to be obsessed with the s*** man.

“If you want to be really good, you have to be obsessed with it, and that will take me a long way.”

Djokovic has hinted he may be close to retirement after going through two years without winning a Grand Slam title, but he has confirmed he will play in the ATP 1000 event in Shanghai next month.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘door is closed’ as retirement predicted soon by leading tennis voice

The post US star under fire after brutal Novak Djokovic comments in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner battle appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has provisionally sealed a key WTA Rankings milestone following an impressive opening-match win on her China Open debut.

World No 32 Raducanu, the 30th seed at the WTA 1000 event, looked in fine form as she saw off Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-3 to progress to the third round in Beijing, having initially received a round-one bye at the tournament.

The Brit had suffered a painful defeat in her last match versus Barbora Krejcikova at the Korea Open, spurning match points in a three-set loss, though she was in a much more confident mood on Saturday against world No 67 Bucsa in the Chinese capital.

Raducanu lost her serve just once and was largely in control throughout against the 27-year-old Spaniard, who reached round three at Wimbledon and round four of the US Open this summer.

“Yeah, it was super difficult, Cristina was playing amazing today,” said Raducanu in her on-court interview.

“It’s my first time [playing] here in China, so I’m very happy to have gotten over it, and after a tough one last week, to come back and bounce back.

“I’m going to do my best, I really want to do well here. I’m half Chinese, so it’s great to come back here.”

Ranked 32nd in the world coming into the tournament, Raducanu was already up one place to world No 31 in the WTA Live Rankings before stepping onto court at the China Open, after world No 29 Anna Kalinskaya was beaten in her opening match.

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And, the Brit’s impressive win over Bucsa has now propelled her provisionally inside the top 30 in the live rankings, in what would be her highest ranking since September 2022.

She currently holds 1,563 points in the live rankings after beating Bucsa, placing her level on points with world No 29 Veronika Kudermetova — who is also through to round three at the event.

Raducanu has not been inside the top 30 of the WTA Rankings since falling in the opening round of her US Open title defence back in 2022, dropping down outside the top 50 at that point.

The Brit will now look to continue her rankings surge on her China Open debut next but faces an incredibly tough test against world No 7 and fifth seed Jessica Pegula.

Pegula breezed past Ajla Tomljanovic in her opening match and won her previous meeting against Raducanu, though the Brit did push the American to three sets at the Miami Open in March.

However, Raducanu did beat Pegula in three sets at the Eastbourne International in 2024, with the American leading the overall head-to-head 2-1.

Read Next: The ‘best physio in the world’ behind Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible Japan Open injury recovery

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