“Dear Jannik, you come back stronger after every loss. I hope you are ready for next year because I will be.” Already hot, after a bloody 7-6 7-5 agony at the finish line of the ATP Finals in Turin, Carlos Alcaraz relaunched the challenge for Sinner Jannik. In a sign of friendly rivalry – in the best Federer-Nadal style – he praised the Italian for the second serve he shot at 187 per hour to save set point at 6-5 in the first set (“I didn’t expect it”), he didn’t spot the double touch that, on the next shot, cost him the comeback from 1-3 to 3-3, he didn’t cry over his hamstring injury (“He didn’t push me to score more than usual, I wanted to be more aggressive, I lost because he deserved it”), praising spectator (“It wasn’t against me, it was for him, and it gave me an energy that I love. I experienced the worst at Paris Bercy in 2021”) and uttered a mea culpa: «I missed shots I shouldn’t have missed in the tie-break and at 3-2 and then at 5-6 of the second set, with two important backhands. I don’t take advantage of opportunities.” Too sweet, too polite, he is less loved than Rafa by the Spanish media. Will he give up and give up the Final Davis from today in Bologna? Meanwhile, the red-haired Prophet is already on holiday, armed with coach Simone Vagnozzi’s project: «The goal of next season is to be more aggressive».
Serve
With 2 Slam titles in 4 finals, plus an encore in the Final – like only Federer and Djokovic since 1970 – among 6 cheers for 2025, Jannik is “very satisfied with the season”. Proud of the changes promised after the knockout in the US Open final against the usual Alcaraz: «His shot has developed in a positive direction, especially his serve and, from the baseline, I have become a little more unpredictable. I believe I still have room for improvement but I still have the perception that I have worked well and, overall, I am a better player than I was twelve months ago.” But sometimes his serve was perfect, as in the first set on Sunday, sometimes surgical as in the 7 break points canceled by Zverev, sometimes it fell short until betraying him with two double faults in a row in the second set again with Carlito. Vagnozzi’s words: «After the US Open we changed the movement and the rhythm of the serve and, from Shanghai, he served very well. In the second set with Carlos he started serving too slow in the second set, but in general he gained variety and confidence… We are on the right track. We have new tactics to make him more aggressive.” News from super coach, Darren Cahill (still possible for 2026): «We also increased the speed, hitting the ball closer to the line getting more straight free points».
Now to the sea
Jannik’s beach holiday with his girlfriend Laila (Hasanovic) will take place during Davis which Jannik will join “from afar”. Preparations will be made between Monte Carlo and Dubai like last year. On January 10 Jannik will meet Carlos again at an exhibition outside Seoul, then he will reach Melbourne for the first stage of the Slam season, starting on the 18th, where he will defend the title without an official preparatory tournament. But always with a great advantage that also stands out in Turin: a mixture of patience, humility, concentration and control of nerves that guarantees the “details” of success. Improve technique. Will Alcaraz progress with his head or will Turin become a stepping stone to the Italian Grand Slam, which even the little ant Jannik doesn’t want to hear about? He certainly won’t need to give his rivals a 3-month break and will be able to deepen his education on clay.
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