John McEnroe has said he didn’t pick up on something important about Jannik Sinner until after the US Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner fell short against Alcaraz, losing in four sets.
The match between the top two players in the world ended with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win for Alcaraz. Alcaraz has a habit of controlling matches when he’s serving well. Even so, Sinner didn’t really help his own case.
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Sinner went the whole match without breaking serve and only managed one break point.
Jannik Sinner praises Carlos Alcaraz after tough US Open final
Sinner wasn’t too hard on himself after his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final. He had no trouble admitting that Alcaraz deserved to win.
It was a different kind of rivalry this time around between these two players at Flushing Meadows than we’ve seen before. The match-up is known for producing fireworks, and while it was still good tennis, it lacked some of the usual drama and intensity we’ve come to expect from them.
John McEnroe ‘surprised’ by Jannik Sinner’s US Open final approach
Sinner’s serve, which has usually been a strength, faltered just as Alcaraz found his rhythm. It played right into the Spaniard’s hands, allowing him to take control without having to hit top gear.
Speaking on ESPN during the match, McEnroe said: “He gets in his head. And some of it’s obviously Alcaraz, you know, his return game, and then he’s forced to go bigger on the second.
“I’m a little bit surprised he hasn’t backed off [on his first serve] a little bit to get the percentage up, to be honest. He’s [only] hit two aces the entire match.”
Sinner finished with just two aces compared to Alcaraz’s ten and committed four double faults while Alcaraz didn’t double fault once.
Jannik Sinner’s reaction following US Open final defeat
McEnroe wasn’t the only one to question Sinner’s performance, later pointing out that the Italian had done something worse than ever before during the match.
But Sinner stayed gracious in defeat, speaking positively during his on-court interview after the match.
He said: “First of all, I would like to start with Carlos and the whole team, you are doing amazing. Congrats. I know it was a lot of hard work behind this performance today, where you were better than me, so congrats. Enjoy it. It is a great moment.”
“Then of course, my team. Thank you for supporting and understanding me. For working hard, we all know how much dedication we put in to be at this stage.
“We know it has been an incredible season. A lot of big stages and matches we have played throughout the season, and I’m super happy to share this moment with you, my family which is home and all the people I love.”
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