After loss, Sinner wants to come out of comfort zone

“I’m seeing you more than my family,” Carlos Alcaraz told Jannik Sinner, minutes after the Spaniard won the US Open final on Sunday night. It was a lighthearted comment during the winner's speech, but had a deeper meaning.

- Shahid Judge

So far this year, they have faced each other five times — all in the final. On Sunday night at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to clinch a sixth Grand Slam title, and the second at the US Open, reclaiming the world No.1 spot.

The Spaniard played some of his best tennis through the tournament and brought that same momentum to the final. He dropped just one set, and that was in the final. Sinner had not been his ruthlessly consistent self, as he was in the Wimbledon final that he won in four sets.

“We maybe practiced for 15 days (after Alcaraz lost the Wimbledon final), very focused on the details that we have to improve to play against Janik,” Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No and Alcaraz’s coach, told atptour.com, talking about the training camp organised to help the Spaniard train for future matches against Sinner.

“It helped a lot because (Alcaraz) realised what (areas) he has to improve a lot, and I was very focused on it.”