Sunday, September 7 was rough for Italy’s No. 1. Defending his US Open title, Jannik Sinner stumbled against Carlos Alcaraz. Though he snatched the second set, Sinner couldn’t hold off the Spaniard in the next two sets. After two hours and 42 minutes, Alcaraz claimed the win. The rivalry now stands at 10-5 in favor of Carlos. But what went wrong for Jannik? Toni Nadal might have the answers.

In a September 11 column for El Pais, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and first coach laid it out. “Jannik found himself completely overwhelmed by the intensity, variety, and quality of his opponent’s shots,” he wrote. How does he know? He pointed to Sinner’s post-match press conference where the Italian admitted, “At the moment, Carlos is a different competitor from all the others, that he has no weaknesses, and that he, for his part, will have to make changes, even if he has to lose a few matches, to become a slightly more unpredictable player.” And sure enough, Sinner echoed those thoughts.

In his press conference, Jannik Sinner said, “I was very predictable today. On court, in the way he did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays. Now it’s going to be on me if I want to make changes or not, you know? Definitely we are going to work on that.” And he wasn’t wrong.

Sinner’s typical stats faltered against Alcaraz. Tennis Insights charted their year-long rivalry on X, focusing on shot variation—how much a player mixes topspin groundstrokes with slices, drop shots, angles, and net play. More variety keeps opponents guessing. Sinner leaned heavily on core shots, hitting 88.3% of them over the past year.

But his forehand cross-court told a different story. Usually, he lands 80.6% of those shots and wins 48% of the points. Against Carlos, those numbers dropped to 75.4% and 40.6%. This revealed the challenge Alcaraz’s unpredictable game posed on familiar grounds.

Toni Nadal added, “If it is true that the transalpine player possesses extraordinary solidity and power, it is also true that he will have to make an effort to surprise Carlos, the only player who, at the moment, knows how to do everything. And do everything well.”

While Alcaraz dominated, Sinner has shown resilience and a knack for bouncing back. Toni Nadal highlighted what Sinner got wrong, but tennis legend Andy Roddick chimed in with praise for what he did right.

Ex-pro gets real about Jannik Sinner’s form at US Open final

On the September 9 Served podcast, Andy Roddick didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the final and predictions. He said calling a winner in any tournament is tough. Sinner’s a hard-court beast, known for his fierce baseline and backhand, holding 25 straight wins on the surface. But Alcaraz? He was just a step ahead. Andy said, “The margin for error with these two when they’re playing each other is so razor thin. It’s like you’re taking half-chances, right? Like, I know that I have to go when I see Jannik in any defense, and I have to take my shot, even if it’s a little reckless or irresponsible.”

Their third straight Slam final was nothing short of electric. Groundstrokes blazed, and fearless net play kept fans on edge. The first-serve battle especially told the story. Carlos owned 83% of those points, while the Italian managed 69%. That gap swung momentum hard.

And the double faults? Jannik Sinner, usually so ice-cool, folded under pressure, handing four away. Alcaraz stayed sharp, no double faults at all. Talk about a killer statement. On receiving points, Sinner lagged behind 24 to 47. But in the second set, Sinner’s power fired up, overwhelming the Spaniard. Still, when it mattered, Carlos delivered, his final serve blasted at 131 mph.

Even in loss, Sinner impressed. Andy was struck: “Jannik was hitting the ball harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. The first point, he was like, ‘Let’s empty the canister.’ He was roping the ball. And Carlos just stayed there, got back to deuce, and hit a monster serve on match point. These things are hard! They make it look easy.”

With the US Open over, the question looms: will these lessons fuel Jannik Sinner’s comeback? The Asian Swing awaits, with stops at the China Open and Shanghai Masters. What do you think? Share your take below!