Juan Carlos Ferrero Dissects the Strategy from Carlos Alcaraz to Defeat Jannik Sinner in the US Open Final⁩

Carlos Alcaraz had one of the most sublime Grand Slam title runs at the 2025 US Open. Though his archrival and opponent in the final, Jannik Sinner is known for his dominance on hard court, winning the last three Majors on this surface, he was outclassed by Alcaraz’s variety this time. Alcaraz used nearly every trick in the book from drop shots to volleys and slices to stun the defending champion.

After Alcaraz, who entered Wimbledon as the two-time defending champion lost to Sinner in the final, he and his team worked a great deal to improve for the next tournament. Alcaraz went on to win his next tournament at the Cincinnati Open as Sinner retired due to illness. Starting off his US Open campaign, the 2022 champion looked sharp and brilliant from the start. During the press conference, Juan Carlos Ferrero touched upon how they achieved this improvement:

We maybe practised for 15 days, very focused on the details that we have to improve to play against Jannik. We know that in this kind of surface, on hard courts, Jannik is always very difficult to play and [is] winning a lot of matches. I think it helped a lot, because he realised what he has to improve a lot, and I was very focused on it. I think we prepared the match very good, watching some matches and seeing the specific details we had to play.

Alcaraz’s efforts have been very evident throughout the tournament, particularly with improvements on his serve. He reached the finals of the US Open without dropping a set, becoming the first man to do so since Roger Federer in 2015.

Alcaraz’s eventual victory marks the fewest number of break points faced en route (10) to win a Grand Slam title. He is also now just the fourth man to win multiple Grand Slam titles on each surface after Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, showcasing his impressive versatility. With his triumph, he clinched his sixth Grand Slam title and dethroned Sinner from the World No. 1 rank, ending the Italian’s impressive 65-week streak in that ranking.

Juan Carlos Ferrero describes Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open final performance as perfect

Carlos Alcaraz was crisp from the beginning pushing Jannik Sinner to his first break point just four minutes into the US Open final. At 3-1 (15-0) Alcaraz produced a smooth drop volley and At 3-2 (30-0), he used a Federer-esque backhand slice followed by a forehand winner that rattled Sinner.