Winning 84 percent of his ‘first serve’ was the key to Alcaraz’s triumph against Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz’s transition in last two months after losing to Jannic Sinner in Wimbledon final has been the key and an inspiring tales that guided him to record a thumping victory at the Flushing Meadows on Sunday, winning two consecutive US Open titles. Alcaraz and his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero designed the plans about the rectification in his game. Alcaraz was the outstanding player at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a set until the final, and was virtually impregnable on serve. The way in which the 22-year-old regained the US Open title and number one ranking has been a product of the intense work he has done to develop his game. At the start of the year, Alcaraz and Ferrero highlighted the importance of improving his serve. The opening shot has continued to be a work in progress, ultimately breaking down in his Wimbledon loss, but it was key to his success over the past fortnight. The statistics has revealed that Alcaraz has improved his first service mainly as a part of its reflection he won 84 percent of his first serve points. At the same time the Spaniard worked out on the improvement of his technique also. Often accused of lacking concentration and letting opponents back into matches, Alcaraz possessed a laser-focus throughout the tournament. It allowed him to serve with pace and precision, as well as playing with variety in the rallies, using spin, slice and power to confound Sinner. Alcaraz put the unwavering focus down to his growing maturity. “I feel it is best tournament I’ve played from the first round to the end,” he said.
Djokovic puts Alcaraz ‘slightly ahead’ of Sinner in Sunday’s Wimbledon final
After his 3-6, 3-6, 4-6 loss to Sinner, Novak Djokovic put the final perspective and picked the two-time defending champion Alcaraz as the slight favorite for Sunday’s final. Reaching his fourth successive major final and a first at Wimbledon, Sinner became the first man since the Big 4 – Roger Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Andy Murray – to mark a final appearance at all four Grand Slams. While Alcaraz has remained unbeaten on Centre Court since 2023, the Spaniard has yet to reach the final in the Australian Open. While Djokovic kept Alcaraz a rung higher than his semi-final nemesis, he also offered the hard-hitting Sinner his chances. “Well, I think I will give a slight edge to Carlos as a favourite because of the two titles he’s won here and the way he’s playing and the confidence he has right now,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said after his semi-final defeat. “But it’s just a slight advantage ’cause Jannik is hitting the ball extremely well. I think it’s going to be, again, a very close matchup like we had in Paris, yeah.” Sinner is coming off a harrowing defeat to Alcaraz in the French Open last month, losing a golden opportunity after having himself at championship point. The Italian said the Roland-Garros blip is not playing in his mind as he sets himself up for another Alcaraz test. “I’m thrilled to share once again the court with Carlos. It’s going to be difficult, I know that. But I’m looking forward to it, no? I always try to put myself in this kind of situation that I really love. Sundays are very special at every tournament. “But this is a question I cannot answer because I think it’s something that you feel before the match, and also during the match. I can give you answers later. But no, it’s a different match. I’m looking forward to it.” Five-time Slam winner Alcaraz similarly downplayed his edge over the world No. 1. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to take a lot of things from the French Open final, that he’s going to be better. He’s going to be better physically, and he’s going to be better mentally. He’s going to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100%. I’m not thinking or I have an advantage mentally Sunday because of that match,” said Alcaraz.
Sinner stuns Djokovic to face Carlos Alcaraz in final
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner entered the final of the highly coveted French Open with a memorable win over the sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semi-final match on Friday. The Italian registered a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 and knocked the 24-time Grand Slam winner out of the title race. With this win, Sinner marched into the final of the French Open and will now face the second-seeded and defending champions Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash on Sunday. It will be Sinner’s maiden French Open title. Speaking after the match, the world number one said, as quoted by ATP’s official website, “It was such a special occasion for me, playing against Novak in the semi-final of a Grand Slam. It was just amazing, and I had to step up and play the best tennis I could. I am very happy with how I handled the situation, but this shows again what a role model he is for all of us and especially for us young players.” “What he (Djokovic) is doing is incredible, and I wish him only the best for the rest of the season. I think we are all very lucky to see him playing such high-level tennis, it is amazing,” he added. Alcaraz stands one victory away from defending his crown at Paris after Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti retired in the fourth set of their gripping semi-final clash on Friday .The 22-year-old Spaniard led Musetti 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 when the Italian retired from the match after two hours and 25 minutes.
