Entering the US Open as a firm favorite, Jannik Sinner fell nearly short of defending his crown at Flushing Meadows. In the finals, he was overpowered by his rival Carlos Alcaraz as the Spaniard prevailed in four sets. The two players have often faced each other in the business ends of the tournaments, with both having mixed results. Even as there are hardly any technical flaws in their game, Sinner pointed out the one major improvement that he’ll have to make to dominate over his rival.

The Italian star has kickstarted his Asian Swing journey, winning his first round match comfortably in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 over Marin Cilic. Sinner broke hardly any sweat as he dominated the former US Open champion to progress through. Despite a flawless performance, Sinner identified one area that he still needs to improve on to win tough matches against the likes of Alcaraz and other players.

During the post-match interview after his win over Cilic, Sinner said, “I’m thinking a lot about my serve right now, trying to add some things and mix it up a little. Every player does this, and I’m glad to have a great team by my side.” Nonetheless, he was satisfied with his performance today and revealed, “I try to always stay very focused in the early rounds. Today was a good performance and I’m obviously happy. Marin is always tough to face. Breaking his serve early gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the match.”

After the US Open loss, Sinner realized that he needed to add some variation to his serve. As a result, during a practice session at the China Open, he was seen practicing his new service technique. “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,” he said after his US Open final defeat, while talking about his new service technique.

However, this isn’t the only change that Sinner has incorporated after a disappointing US Open loss. He added a new member to his team, as he looks to strengthen his backroom staff.

Alejandro Resnicoff joins Jannik Sinner’s team

Ahead of the tournament in Beijing, Sinner announced the addition of an experienced physio, Alejandro Resnicoff, on a permanent basis. Amid a hectic schedule, the role of Resnicoff becomes all the more important and it was the perfect time for his addition in Sinner’s team. Moreover, Sinner was thrilled to announce his addition into his team.

He said on September 24, “Look, no specific changes. I mean, on the court we are changing a lot. Off the court is more or less the same. He’s a very experienced physio, obviously being on the ATP Tour for 15 years, more or less. Also before he had other tennis players, so… he has a lot of experience. He also respects how we are as a team. It’s not that he comes in and he’s changing everything. If he sees that we have or could potentially improve something for my body, he’s here to help.”

With back-to-back tournaments in the Asian Swing, Resnicoff’s work starts right from the word go and his role would be crucial in keeping Sinner fit and healthy. Can Sinner end the 2025 season on a high with an experienced physio by his side? Let us know your views in the comments below.