Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that Jannik Sinner's revamped serve was the decisive factor in his defeat at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia. The Italian world number one dismantled Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in just 73 minutes, winning 80 per cent of his service points and conceding no break points.
Alcaraz said he felt 'under pressure' as Sinner's serve troubled him throughout the match. 'He was improving a lot, the serve, and I could feel it,' Alcaraz said. 'No break points today, which for me is something weird. I’m used to at least one break point in the match. But when he's serving really good it's really difficult.'
Sinner had publicly acknowledged that he needed to make changes after losing to Alcaraz in September's US Open final. In Riyadh, his work on the practice court paid off. 'We worked a lot in the past month, we're serving hours and hours,' Sinner said after his semi-final win over Novak Djokovic, a 6-2, 6-4 victory where he also won over 80 per cent of his service points.
The exhibition event, which does not count towards ATP rankings, offered a $6m prize pot. Sinner now holds two Six Kings Slam titles after also winning last year. Despite the defeat, Alcaraz praised Sinner’s level: 'When Jannik is playing at this level, it’s always difficult. Sometimes it seems like he's playing ping pong. It's not funny being at the other side of the net.'
Sinner, meanwhile, paid tribute to Alcaraz's season but admitted the win was satisfying. 'I lost also many times against Carlos, it’s a huge pleasure and an honour to share the court with him, but at the same time, you want to get better as a tennis player,' he said. The victory sets up a strong run-in for Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.
