Jannik Sinner lost the US Open final in four sets against the mercurial Carlos Alcaraz, drawing the ire of tennis legend Boris Becker.
Reigning US Open champion Sinner fell 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s men’s singles final, failing to defend his crown – and losing his world No. 1 ranking to Alcaraz as a result.
It was a seventh defeat to Alcaraz in the eight matches the two have contested since the start of 2024, with Sinner only losing four matches to players outside of the Spaniard during that timeframe.
World No. 1 Alcaraz now holds a 10-5 lead in his head-to-head over the Italian and was largely dominant during his run to a second title in New York.
Alcaraz has now drawn level with Becker on two US Open titles and six Grand Slam titles overall.
And, speaking on his podcast, Becker Petkovic, the German claimed that Sinner’s “weakness” was exploited by Alcaraz throughout the final.
“From the first minute to the last, Alcaraz was clearly better than all the other players and even better than Sinner,” said Becker.
“In the final, he was clearly the boss. He played tennis from another planet and deserved to win the tournament.
“The big difference I noticed in this duel was on serve; Sinner was clearly weaker, and that’s unforgiving, if he has a real weakness, it’s this one.”
Speaking in his post-match press conference after the final, Sinner issued an honest verdict of his game and claimed he had become too “predictable” for his main rival, who he now trails 2-7 in hard-court meetings.
And that was a view echoed by former world No 1 Becker, who claimed that he had “expected more” from Sinner in the final – and claimed that the Italian had “stood still” while Alcaraz progressed.
He added: “I am one who always thinks to tell the truth. I was a little disappointed. I expected more.
“But of course I was not disappointed by Alcaraz. Because he really played tennis better today than a year ago. He had more variations, he had speed changes. He played serve volley. He played backhand slice. He played forehand where you don’t see the ball.
“And I think Sinner, for the first time, he stood still with his game. He is now predictable. You know exactly what always happens. And it’s not as bad that I see it that way. It’s worse for him that Alcaraz sees it that way.
“And I think for the first time that Alcaraz really took a step forward. And Sinner stayed the same. He partly didn’t know how to win the points. Except Alcaraz hit the ball.
“In his press conference after the match, Sinner, always said very honestly, that he [Alcaraz] has developed further in tennis and I have not. And I think it’s great that he says that. But that’s how I felt it.
“There was never a discussion for me, even after the second set, who would win this match in the end. And I didn’t see that in any other final between the two.”
All eyes will be on if Sinner is able to turn the tables on Alcaraz when the two next meet.
The next tournament both are set to compete in is the Shanghai Masters next month, where the Italian will be aiming to successfully defend the title he won in 2024.
