Jannik Sinner had far too much for Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam final in Riyadh on Saturday and former British No 1 Tim Henman has identified why the Italian was too hot to handle for his Spanish rival.
Sinner sealed a 6-2, 6-4 win against his great rival in the exhibition event that is the richest in tennis, with the victory taking home a massive $6million after his masterclass in Saudi Arabia.
While this result will not count on the head-to-head record for Sinner and Alcaraz, it was evidence that the Italian has bounced back from his comprehensive defeat against the world No 1 in the US Open final last month.
That match in New York was notable for Sinner’s disappointing serving performance and he suggested after the contest that he needed to improve that area of his game.
“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.
More Tennis News
Startling statistic reveals how Jannik Sinner pushed Novak Djokovic onto the back foot
Value of golden racket Jannik Sinner won after beating Carlos Alcaraz in Six Kings Slam is revealed
“I’m looking forward to play these matches again, something new is now that I’m not No 1 anymore. 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.”
They were words that suggested Sinner was inspired to improve after his biggest defeat of the year and he confirmed he has put that work in with his displays at the Six Kings Slam.
The pace and accuracy of his serve appeared to have moved up a couple of levels from that display in the US Open final, with Sinner apparently adding an extra motion to his serve as he appeared to be reaching up a little higher to strike the ball.
The impact was instant and world No 4 Henman told Netflix that the serve is a weapon that could allow Sinner to move away from his rivals in men’s tennis, including Alcaraz.
“It was such a complete performance from Sinner, literally from the first game of the match,” said Henman.
“It was a serving masterclass. The way that he was able to hit the corners with such speed, power and accuracy, it gave Alcaraz so little. He couldn’t get involved in Sinner’s service games and it puts pressure on your own serve. You know that if you lose you own serve, that’s pretty much set over.
“The quality of the returners these days, you can’t just serve fast, you have to hit the corners and he did that time and again.
“His variation was so good, whether he was out wide or down the middle. This serve is a real weapon.
“He was within a couple of feet of the lines in both boxes. Alcaraz didn’t get any break points. It was tough for him.”
A staggering 60 per cent of Sinner’s serves were not returned by Alcaraz, with that area certain to be analysed by his team ahead of his next meeting with his big rival.
The post Tim Henman identifies how Jannik Sinner took Carlos Alcaraz apart to claim the richest prize in tennis appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply