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New Physio, New Serve: Jannik Sinner Back in Action in Beijing

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Antonio Sepe | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 10:24 PM ET

Two weeks after the US Open final, Jannik Sinner is ready to return to competition at the China Open in Beijing. The Italian surrendered the World No. 1 spot to Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated him in New York, ending his 65-week reign at the top. That means from now on he will be the chaser rather than the chased.

In 2024, he lost the final of the China Open against Alcaraz, though there won’t be a rematch this time: the Spaniard has chosen not to defend the title, opting instead for Tokyo, Japan. Both will still be heavy favourites in their respective tournaments. While Alcaraz has just arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun after a long trip from San Francisco, USA – where he represented Team Europe in the Laver Cup – Sinner landed in China a few days earlier and has already started practicing.

A New Face in the Team

The Chinese swing also marks the start of a new professional chapter for Sinner. He has brought in a new physiotherapist, Alejandro Resnicoff. The Argentinian has worked with the ATP for the last 15–20 years and some fans may know him from when Jakub Mensik publicly thanked him after his Miami Open victory.

Jakub Mensik gave a special thank you to an ATP physio who healed his knee before his first match at Miami Open:

“Big special thanks to one of the ATP physios, Alejandro. One hour before my first match here I was holding the paper to pull out from the tournament because my knee… pic.twitter.com/XPsebBhXKK

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 31, 2025

It’s not the first time Resnicoff has treated Sinner. Over the past year, he stepped in at least three times during Grand Slam events: at the 2024 US Open semifinal against Jack Draper, at the Australian Open against Holger Rune, and most notably at Wimbledon during his Round of 16 clash with Grigor Dimitrov, when Sinner suffered elbow pain after a heavy fall in the opening game. On each of those occasions, Sinner went on to win the tournament.

Completing the Team Reshuffle

After the return of Umberto Ferrara, his fitness coach previously dismissed in the aftermath of the Clostebol case alongside physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, Sinner has now decided to complete his team reshuffle by appointing Resnicoff on a permanent basis.

The physiotherapist position had been left vacant after Sinner parted ways with Ulises Badio – and fitness coach Marco Panichi – just before Wimbledon. In recent months, osteopath Andrea Cipolla temporarily filled the role, but Sinner ultimately wanted a permanent solution.

Serving Up Adjustments

Beyond the new addition to his staff, attention is also turning to Sinner’s serve. Since his three-month suspension, he has struggled to rediscover the power and consistency he once had. Something felt off during the French Open final, although Wimbledon appeared to bring reassurance.

The US Open final, however, proved to be a wake-up call: Sinner landed just 48% of his first serves, one of the key reasons for his defeat to Alcaraz. His coach, Simone Vagnozzi, has voiced concern, pointing out that Sinner tosses the ball too far forward and runs out of time, as reported by Eurosport Italia. Videos circulating on social media also suggest that Sinner and his team are working on refining his posture and elbow positioning to restore his weapon.