World No. 2 Jannik Sinner says he has been “reflecting a lot” and making subtle changes to his game as he prepares for his first appearance since losing the US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz earlier this month.
The 24-year-old Italian, who fell in four sets to Alcaraz in New York and surrendered his world No. 1 ranking, admitted he must become more unpredictable to overcome his Spanish rival.
“We’ve been reflecting a lot. We are changing a lot of small things,” Sinner said in Beijing ahead of his China Open campaign. “The amount of mistakes at the moment is for sure a little bit higher, but I hope this will recover in a very positive way.”
Sinner, who lost last year’s Beijing final to Alcaraz in a three-set thriller, will open against Marin Cilic on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz will skip his title defense to play in Japan this week.
Their growing rivalry—dubbed “Sincaraz”—has dominated men’s tennis, but legend Roger Federer recently urged tournament directors to vary court speeds, claiming slower surfaces favor players like Sinner and Alcaraz.
Sinner agreed, noting a “lack of variety” in court conditions but said he would continue to adapt “in the best possible way.”
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