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.
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