"It's the same thing that I did": Carlos Alcaraz expects Jannik Sinner to 'change something' after US Open defeat

World number one Carlos Alcaraz believes his rival, Italy’s Jannik Sinner, will ‘change’ something after his recent defeat in the final of the US Open. The 24-year-old was on the receiving end in the final of the fourth and the final Grand Slam of the year against the Spaniard.

It was Alcaraz who came out on top with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. It was Alcaraz’s fourth win over Sinner in the final of a major event in 2025. His first triumph came in the final of the Rome Open in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1. The two met once again in the final of the French Open, where Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set and eventually came out on top in a five-set thriller with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

The match lasted more than five hours and officially became the second-longest final in the history of Grand Slams in the Open era. Just before the start of the US Open, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the final of the Cincinnati Open, where Sinner was forced to retire in the first set because of illness. The final score of the match was 5-0.

In between that, Sinner also managed to defeat Alcaraz in the final of a major competition, which came at Wimbledon where he came out on top in four sets with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Alcaraz, who is now set to feature in the Japan Open, spoke to the media ahead of his tournament opener against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez on Thursday, where he spoke about his rivalry with Sinner.

Alcaraz stated that he is aware that a player like Sinner will try to change ‘something’ after losing so comfortably in the final of the US Open, something similar to what he changed after losing in the final of Wimbledon. Alcaraz also stated that he knows that he has to be ‘ready’ to face that ‘change’ from Sinner whenever the two players face off in the near future.

"I know he's going to change something from the last match," said Alcaraz. "It's the same thing that I did when I lost to him a couple of times, I tried to be a better player the next time I was going to face him. I have to be focused and I have to be ready for that change.”

Discussing his rivalry with Sinner, which many claim is similar to the one Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had in the past, Alcaraz stated that it is ‘going great.’ Alcaraz was also of the opinion that having such a rivalry between two top players is ‘great’ for tennis. "Our rivalry is getting better, which for me and for tennis I would say is great," said Alcaraz. “We will see in the future how many times I'm going to play against him and which circumstances we will play. Right now, it's going great."

Talking about himself, Alcaraz stated that he has learnt in recent years that he has ‘grown up’ a lot while playing on the court. Alcaraz also said that he ‘can’t complain’ about the season he is having, where he has won two out of the four Grand Slams and reclaimed the number one spot in the ATP rankings. "I've seen myself that I've grown up a lot as a player on the court," he said. “For me, it could be better, of course it could be better, but I can't complain about the season I'm having so far."

This is the first time Alcaraz will be playing in the Japan Open. Talking about it, the reigning world number one stated that he is ‘really excited’ about playing in the country and to witness the ‘energy’ of the Japanese people. "I'm really excited about playing in different places, in different stadiums, and feel the energy from the Japanese people," said Alcaraz.