If Jannik Sinner took away any lesson from the 2025 US Open loss to Carlos Alcaraz, it has to be one thing: change! That final, for the Italian, was his fifth consecutive at a Grand Slam, and over 35 such appearances, his record stands 33-2. Pretty grand for a 24-year-old. But both the losses came this year at the hands of his only rival at this point, Alcaraz. So, as he sat down for the press conference, he broke down everything he didn’t do well. But along with a promise to change his techniques, he clarified that despite losing the US Open and also his world No. 1 rank, he was proud of himself. Since then? Silence. Until now. 

On Thursday, the two top tennis superstars won in their respective tournaments, with Alcaraz in Tokyo and Sinner in Beijing. With them making headlines again, the question from the reporters was obvious. So, when the Italian was asked if losing the top crown would mean more than any other loss, he had a simple response, “No, I don’t think it puts more or less pressure on me to be number 2.”

Sinner added, “The season went as it went. Yes, we shared the Grand Slam tournaments, but we still had two very different seasons. I am very, very happy with the year. I am still in the process of making. For my part, I feel that what I have accomplished is exceptional.” Honestly, no one would challenge Sinner’s thoughts.

After a breakthrough 2024 season, the 24-year-old indeed followed up with another successful season. He reached the finals of all four major tournaments this year and won two more Grand Slams, including one against Alcaraz at Wimbledon. The Italian also maintained a 65-week stretch at the top of the ATP rankings despite missing three months of tournaments due to last spring’s suspension. Not to mention, before his loss to the Spaniard in Flushing Meadows, he was running on a 27-win streak on hard courts. Only Roger Federer led him with 40 wins on that surface.

Even in loss, he remained respectful to what his only true primary competitor was able to do. Giving flowers to Carlos’ season, he said, “What Carlos is doing, has achieved, he has won many titles this year. He deserves to be there, it’s that simple. He played more tournaments and played them all at a very high level. If he is the one who has obtained excellent results, he deserves to be there.”

Surely, Alcaraz, too, has had a season to remember. Winning 7 titles, including the second US Open just weeks ago over Sinner. In fact, he has an 89.7 win percentage this year. Now, he is back on the court and already a favorite to win in Japan. Just today, the world No. 1 notched a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.

On the other side, Sinner, too, proved his good shape in Beijing ATP 500, where he cruised past Croatian veteran Marin Cilic on Centre Court with a dominant serving display just hours ago. The world No. 2 set up a clash with France’s Terence Atmane in the next round in Beijing in the win. According to Tennis Abstract, it marked just the fourth time in his career that he had landed at least 77% of first serves in.

Sinner and Alcaraz have proven to be complete players with hardly any weaknesses in their games. Their biggest strengths: serve, forehand or backhand plus the next shot, and return — combine so seamlessly that the smartest move is often to start hitting aggressively right away. On top of that, they rarely need to dig deep into the rest of their arsenal to overpower opponents. Still, Sinner feels space for improvement is still there, especially against Alcaraz, who leads their H2H 10-5. And the China Open is his training ground right now.

“We’ve been reflecting a lot to that final,” Sinner said in a pre-tournament press conference at this week’s China Open. “We are working on new things. We are changing a lot of small things where I’m thinking of now. The amount of mistakes at the moment is for sure a little bit higher, but I hope that this after recovers in a very positive way, no?”

Although both players appear focused on pushing further in their tournaments, Roger Federer had a different perspective about their rise to begin with. Now, Sinner has also responded on that topic.

Jannik Sinner responds to Roger Federer’s court claim

During the Laver Cup weekend in San Francisco, Roger Federer sparked debate while speaking on Served with Andy Roddick. He argued that the uniformity of ball and court speeds makes matches more predictable, giving an edge to stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. “Obviously, I understand why they do it. It acts as a safety net for the weaker player, he has to hit amazing shots to beat Sinner. On fast courts, he might get past with just a few well-timed hits. That’s the thinking behind these decisions,” Federer explained. His words seemed to point directly toward Sinner’s advantage.

When asked about the comments in Beijing ahead of the China Open, Jannik Sinner remained calm and measured. “The hard courts, they are at times very similar. At times, there are some small changes, a couple of changes. One tournament that comes up a bit is Indian Wells because the ball bounces very high. It’s a bit different how the ball reacts with the court,” Sinner said, offering his perspective on the matter.

He went on to add, “But yeah, if not, we have more or less similar game situations on the court. This is how it has been for a long time, like this. I don’t know if there is going to be a change or not. I’m just a player who tries to adapt myself in the best possible way. I feel like I’m doing a good job in this. But let’s see what the future can give us in every tournament.” His steady, almost unbothered response suggested he was unfazed by the discussion.

While Federer’s observations carry weight, Jannik Sinner’s consistent performances show he is proving himself regardless of conditions, stacking up wins one after another. That said, do Federer’s comments raise a valid point about modern tennis becoming too uniform? Or does Sinner’s ability to adapt prove that true champions rise above court speeds and conditions? What do you think?