TOKYO: World number one Carlos Alcaraz said Wednesday that he will have to prepare for a new and improved Jannik Sinner after beating his great rival in the US Open final.
Italy’s Sinner admitted he needed to overhaul his “predictable” game after losing to Alcaraz in New York earlier this month in the latest of a string of recent defeats to his Spanish nemesis.
Alcaraz is playing at the Japan Open in Tokyo this week, while Sinner will compete at the China Open in Beijing in his first appearance since the US Open.
Alcaraz said he would need to be ready for a different Sinner next time he faces the world number two on the court.
“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,” he added.
Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis this season, with the pair contesting all four Grand Slam finals, winning two each.
Alcaraz is only 22 and Sinner is just two years older, and the two look set to monopolise the sport’s top titles for years to come.
“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.”
Alcaraz heads to Tokyo coming off a surprise loss to American world number five Taylor Fritz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco last week.
Fritz is the number two seed in Tokyo, where Denmark’s Holger Rune, Norway’s Casper Ruud and the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac will also compete.
Alcaraz has won the French Open as well as the US Open this year and he said it had been “the best season that I’ve ever done”.
“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.”
Alcaraz is playing at the Japan Open for the first time in his career.
He said he wanted to play in Tokyo to “see the culture and see everything here”.
“I’m really excited about playing in different places, in different stadiums, and feel the energy from the Japanese people,” he said.
