Sinner on Djokovic defeat "tactically I should have know better"

[Fabrivitx]

Jannik Sinner answers Sky sport tennis questions on the eve of the 2026 Qatar Exxonmobil Open:

"It's a defeat, from which I learned a lot. We both played well, tactically I should have know little bit better, I had lot chances but I didn't take them; sometimes you lose, it's normal, and we mustn't forget that."
"We're trying changing small details on the pitch, things that take a bit of time to become as natural as possible, little bit more aggressive in closing points and other things"
"The aspect that needs to be changed isn't just technical, it can also be tactical or mental: how we view certain situations on and off the pitch. There are many things that can be improved."
"Alcaraz is doing incredibile things, i congratulated him for his first AO slam"

 

[Hitman]

I am sure Sinner will learn, and only get better.

 

[weakera]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

 

[xFedal]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

Djokovic took the fight to him, hitting harder than even him.

 

[Slingshot]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

He was losing more of the longer rallies to a 38yo. It was tactics just as much.

 

[weakera]

Djokovic took the fight to him, hitting harder than even him.

2 for 18 on break points speaks for itself

 

[weakera]

He was losing more of the longer rallies to a 38yo. It was tactics just as much.

This has been the case in most of their recent matchups.

Djokovic was +/- 50/50 in longer points at AO 24, RG 25, and Wimbledon 25.

Nothing new.

 

[MichaelNadal]

2 for 18 on break points speaks for itself

He pulled a 2007 FO final

 

[xFedal]

2 for 18 on break points speaks for itself

Carlos was 0-8 in the olympic final 2-18 might be an improvement on that, wasn't Fed 4/24 15usof or 1/17 in french open final?

 

[GoatNo1]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

no. nole was clutch. as vs fed so many times or vs raz at OG or cinci finals! raz lost just 2 big finals. 2 to sinner and 2 to nole. both vs nole was very tight. and he won berceuse he was more clutch as with fed or sinner.

 

[Slingshot]

This has been the case in most of their recent matchups.

Djokovic was +/- 50/50 in longer points at AO 24, RG 25, and Wimbledon 25.

Nothing new.

And it shouldn't be. But in this match, he lost more than he won. His groundstroke game was weaker than usual and Djokovic was too comfortable once they got into those rallies. That shouldn't happen.

 

[weakera]

Carlos was 0-8 in the olympic final 2-18 might be an improvement on that, wasn't Fed 4/24 15usof or 1/17 in french open final?

Exactly

 

[tennis_pro]

I am sure Sinner will learn, and only get better.

It's the second hard court Slam in a row (after he won the previous 3) where he said in the press conference after his loss that he has to change something. For a guy who's literaly at his dominant HC peak he shouldn't be the one saying he needs amendments. I don't recall Fed saying after the 2005 AO afer his loss to Safin that he needed to work on his game or tactics, it was a one off, a match that he still should've won (5-2 with a double mini break in the 4th set breaker), he went straight back to dominating the tour and didn't lose in a HC Slam again until 2008.

One loss could be a coincidence, but him losing at his peak in a HC Slam against a near 39-year old Djokovic is inexcusable, lack of tactics or not. He should have so many advantages over Djokovic at this point that he should comfortably beat him at his B level, maybe even C+. Maybe Sinner isn't as good as his numbers show? That racking up titles against guys like Fritz, Shelton and de Minaur don't translate into beating Alcaraz or Djokovic who decided to show any glimpse of his old self?

Also people are laughing at Davydenko's comments, but it would be so hilarious if Sinner really started to decline this year or next.

 

[weakera]

no. nole was clutch. as vs fed so many times or vs razer at OG or cinci finals!

 

[Mraz]

Thank you for losing that match, Sinner.

 

[Hitman]

It's the second hard court Slam in a row (after he won the previous 3) where he said in the press conference after his loss that he has to change something. For a guy who's literaly at his dominant HC peak he shouldn't be the one saying he needs amendments. I don't recall Fed saying after the 2005 AO afer his loss to Safin that he needed to work on his game or tactics, it was a one off, a match that he still should've won (5-2 with a double mini break in the 4th set breaker), he went straight back to dominating the tour and didn't lose in a HC Slam again until 2008.

One loss could be a coincidence, but him losing at his peak in a HC Slam against a near 39-year old Djokovic is inexcusable, lack of tactics or not. He should have so many advantages over Djokovic at this point that he should comfortably beat him at his B level, maybe even C+. Maybe Sinner isn't as good as his numbers show? That racking up titles against guys like Fritz, Shelton and de Minaur don't translate into beating Alcaraz or Djokovic who decided to show any glimpse of his old self?

Also people are laughing at Davydenko's comments, but it would be so hilarious if Sinner really started to decline this year or next.

Was it a bad loss for Sinner? Yes, it was, he shouldn't have lost the match.

That being said, a couple of points here and there and he wins the match comfortably. His conversion on BP was what hurt him the most, and there has to be an element of tactical approach there. Lets not forget that Sinner beat Djokovic in their last three slam matches, and overall won five matches in a row against him, something only Nadal did back in 2008-2009.

I think the match against Alcaraz at USO can easily be justified....that was the best slam run of Alcaraz's career, and one of the best runs in USO history, plus Sinner himself was having issues with his serving that event. He did fix his serving post USO, and his serve has been a strong weapon since.

In the Djokovic match, it was about being indecisive on BP chances, and that could be part of his tactical approach, he might have been a little too casual coming into the match, already having one eye on Alcaraz, considering Djokovic had only one one set against him since 2023.

It was a lesson learnt, and I do feel Sinner will learn and adapt. The win by Djokovic is a one off IMO, not some sort of downward trend.

 

[GoatNo1]

the most clutch player in history with some margin!

 

[hoodjem]

Jannik Sinner answers Sky sport tennis questions on the eve of the 2026 Qatar Exxonmobil Open:

"We're trying changing small details on the pitch, things that take a bit of time to become as natural as possible, little bit more aggressive in closing points and other things"
"The aspect that needs to be changed isn't just technical, it can also be tactical or mental: how we view certain situations on and off the pitch. There are many things that can be improved."

The “pitch”?
Is this an Italian thing, or is he playing cricket, or is he singing opera?

 

[Zeref123]

It's the second hard court Slam in a row (after he won the previous 3) where he said in the press conference after his loss that he has to change something. For a guy who's literaly at his dominant HC peak he shouldn't be the one saying he needs amendments. I don't recall Fed saying after the 2005 AO afer his loss to Safin that he needed to work on his game or tactics, it was a one off, a match that he still should've won (5-2 with a double mini break in the 4th set breaker), he went straight back to dominating the tour and didn't lose in a HC Slam again until 2008.

One loss could be a coincidence, but him losing at his peak in a HC Slam against a near 39-year old Djokovic is inexcusable, lack of tactics or not. He should have so many advantages over Djokovic at this point that he should comfortably beat him at his B level, maybe even C+. Maybe Sinner isn't as good as his numbers show? That racking up titles against guys like Fritz, Shelton and de Minaur don't translate into beating Alcaraz or Djokovic who decided to show any glimpse of his old self?

Also people are laughing at Davydenko's comments, but it would be so hilarious if Sinner really started to decline this year or next.

you are right, but Djokovic deserves some credit. Tactically he was spot on, his serve on Sinner's FH was deadly (same tactic against Alcaraz in OG 2024 interestingly), but surely Sinner lost it more than Nole won it.

 

[jl809]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

It was both imo. In the final (not so much set 2 where Djoker was rubbish, but 3 and 4) Alcaraz really showed the difference in terms of tactics compared to Sinner's mistakes. Don't get into stupid hitting contests through the middle of the court, use Oldman's shot pace against him by focusing on angles, defend with height and heaviness (the 2012-13 Nadal way), vary the shape so he can't become a metronome.

Watching back a lot of the Sinner-Djoker points, Djoker isn't having to move a lot during the baseline power exchanges, he's just teeing off nicely. Someone quoted some stats on here that his FH speed was up with his 2013 level, so if you don't expose the fact his movement isn't 2013 Djoker level anymore, you're basically playing prime Djokovic with an even better serve lol

 

[The_Order]

Hahaha should've known not to choke.. good one... it's etched in your dna... not as much as Zed, but it's def there...

Can't win a match over 4 hours either and he's some unstoppable force?

He has a lot to prove now... and I have my doubts he will...

 

[mtommer]

He was losing more of the longer rallies to a 38yo. It was tactics just as much.

No, weakera knows better than Sinner and his team. That is why they pay him a large sum of mone.......oh, wait a minute, they don't. Sorry, carry on.

 

[tennis_pro]

you are right, but Djokovic deserves some credit. Tactically he was spot on, his serve on Sinner's FH was deadly (same tactic against Alcaraz in OG 2024 interestingly), but surely Sinner lost it more than Nole won it.

Of course, Djokovic played a brilliant match, was very clutch and strategically he was on point. Even considering all of that Sinner should've won and fairly comfortably, he was the dominant HC player in 2024-2025 and again, it's just inexcusable. Djokovic barely had any legs left at the end of the SF, with the final being played 2 days later he had energy for 40 minutes. I don't care how well Djokovic executed his gameplan, Sinner still should've won in max 4 sets. And that's where the debate opens (combined with his 2025 USO loss) - is there really something he needs to work on or is he good enough to beat players who can truly challenge him?

 

[tennis_pro]

Was it a bad loss for Sinner? Yes, it was, he shouldn't have lost the match.

That being said, a couple of points here and there and he wins the match comfortably. His conversion on BP was what hurt him the most, and there has to be an element of tactical approach there. Lets not forget that Sinner beat Djokovic in their last three slam matches, and overall won five matches in a row against him, something only Nadal did back in 2008-2009.

I think the match against Alcaraz at USO can easily be justified....that was the best slam run of Alcaraz's career, and one of the best runs in USO history, plus Sinner himself was having issues with his serving that event. He did fix his serving post USO, and his serve has been a strong weapon since.

In the Djokovic match, it was about being indecisive on BP chances, and that could be part of his tactical approach, he might have been a little too casual coming into the match, already having one eye on Alcaraz, considering Djokovic had only one one set against him since 2023.

It was a lesson learnt, and I do feel Sinner will learn and adapt. The win by Djokovic is a one off IMO, not some sort of downward trend.

See, but there's always something. As for now it turns out that Sinner's win at the 2024 AO was a one off against Djokovic who played a crapola SF. He's 0-2 against Alcaraz in HC Slams and 1-1 against Djokovic. And he's smack in the middle of his prime, if not peak, dominant all around on HC.

With Djokovic I agree tho, it's a one off, but mostly because Djokovic already pulled off a miracle at almost 39, by USO he'll be 39,5 and in 2027 he'll be knocking on 40, it would be flat out humiliating if Sinner lost to him again.

We'll see what happens in the next couple of months, we got IW/Miami left on HC, but then we're going to clay where Alcaraz is starting to become pretty dominant.

 

[Hitman]

See, but there's always something. As for now it turns out that Sinner's win at the 2024 AO was a one off against Djokovic who played a crapola SF. He's 0-2 against Alcaraz in HC Slams and 1-1 against Djokovic. And he's smack in the middle of his prime, if not peak, dominant all around on HC.

With Djokovic I agree tho, it's a one off, but mostly because Djokovic already pulled off a miracle at almost 39, by USO he'll be 39,5 and in 2027 he'll be knocking on 40, it would be flat out humiliating if Sinner lost to him again.

We'll see what happens in the next couple of months, we got IW/Miami left on HC, but then we're going to clay where Alcaraz is starting to become pretty dominant.

I think we need to see how Sinner responds for the rest of the year to see where it goes.

People were trashing Alcaraz at the exact time last year, where he had lost AO to Djokovic, after also losing the Olympics gold medal match.

Now, I am not saying Sinner is Alcaraz, but what I am saying is, Sinner at least deserves the time to respond.

 

[ALCARAZWON]

This sounds like made-up BS-
"The aspect that needs to be changed isn't just technical, it can also be tactical or mental."
If its one aspect it can't be technical, tactical and mental. Its one of those 3, idiot.

 

[Fabrivitx]

There are a lot of people who are writing out of pure hatred for its own sake, it's clear that he reviewed the match with his coaches and it's also clear that he had a lot of break points that he didn't convert, often with obvious tactical errors, it seems logical to me that he now says this with the benefit of hindsight.

 

[rigged]

This Djoker win will mean a lot to next old ATG's. I mean, it just shows that if you're trying really hard to compensate some stats that you automatically lose by aging (speed is the best example) you can stil snatch some wins against a young ATG. I think it will be more common in the future for tennis players to actually peak after they get 29-30. Never really been Djoker's fan, but it's just inspiring to see him proving that him being the slam leader it wasn't just luck due to having a weak 90s era. If we're being honest with ourselves, every big 3 member had, at some point, weak competition.

 

[Curtennis]

It's the second hard court Slam in a row (after he won the previous 3) where he said in the press conference after his loss that he has to change something. For a guy who's literaly at his dominant HC peak he shouldn't be the one saying he needs amendments. I don't recall Fed saying after the 2005 AO afer his loss to Safin that he needed to work on his game or tactics, it was a one off, a match that he still should've won (5-2 with a double mini break in the 4th set breaker), he went straight back to dominating the tour and didn't lose in a HC Slam again until 2008.

One loss could be a coincidence, but him losing at his peak in a HC Slam against a near 39-year old Djokovic is inexcusable, lack of tactics or not. He should have so many advantages over Djokovic at this point that he should comfortably beat him at his B level, maybe even C+. Maybe Sinner isn't as good as his numbers show? That racking up titles against guys like Fritz, Shelton and de Minaur don't translate into beating Alcaraz or Djokovic who decided to show any glimpse of his old self?

Also people are laughing at Davydenko's comments, but it would be so hilarious if Sinner really started to decline this year or next.

Horrible take. So much empirical data showing he’s elite. Top 10 hardest average backhands ever. Elite sprint speed. Average forehand speed that exceeds fed and many other beloved here on these forums. Absurd winner to unforced error ratio. Average depth of ball better than prime Djokovic.

This entire forum is full of people just crying weak era ever since wood racquets went away.

 

[ND-13]

He had a zillion BP and was ultra aggressive . Going on defense may have helped on a couple of occasions

Djokovic as usual was lucky in grabbing the one time he had a BP

 

[MeatTornado]

I don't recall Fed saying after the 2005 AO afer his loss to Safin that he needed to work on his game or tactics, it was a one off, a match that he still should've won (5-2 with a double mini break in the 4th set breaker), he went straight back to dominating the tour and didn't lose in a HC Slam again until 2008.

Well duh. Sinner said that because after the USO he had taken numerous losses to Alcaraz already, so he was just acknowledging the reality that something probably needs to change in order to keep up with a constantly improving rival. I don't know if Fed had ever lost to Safin before that night. If he did, it certainly wasn't a big match. So of course the dominant #1 was going to treat it as a one-off until proven otherwise. Hell, even when Rafa was stacking wins on him it took Roger years before he finally admitted that they were even rivals.

And now it's not like he's just going to say "yeah I blew it against Novak." He's a modern PR trained diplomat. Saying he'll make some improvements going forward is the most milquetoast nothing statement he could offer.

 

[Gastino]

Horrible take. So much empirical data showing he’s elite. Top 10 hardest average backhands ever. Elite sprint speed. Average forehand speed that exceeds fed and many other beloved here on these forums. Absurd winner to unforced error ratio. Average depth of ball better than prime Djokovic.

This entire forum is full of people just crying weak era ever since wood racquets went away.

Your take is actually refreshing I started to think that nobody looked at data on this forum .

 

[Chanwan]

Horrible take. So much empirical data showing he’s elite. Top 10 hardest average backhands ever. Elite sprint speed. Average forehand speed that exceeds fed and many other beloved here on these forums. Absurd winner to unforced error ratio. Average depth of ball better than prime Djokovic.

This entire forum is full of people just crying weak era ever since wood racquets went away.

Can you link me to that data? Thanks
Also agree, he is most def elite

 

[langley]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

i think there is definitely a mental issue with sinner. the fact that he is still using the auxetic 1.0 pj shows this. this would’ve been the perfect time to switch after such a devastating loss. but yet he still has been seen using it. if you aren’t mentally strong enough to use a racquet that almost the exact same and plays the exact same then i don’t think you’re mentally strong enough to overcome alcaraz.

 

[langley]

Horrible take. So much empirical data showing he’s elite. Top 10 hardest average backhands ever. Elite sprint speed. Average forehand speed that exceeds fed and many other beloved here on these forums. Absurd winner to unforced error ratio. Average depth of ball better than prime Djokovic.

This entire forum is full of people just crying weak era ever since wood racquets went away.

sinner also has adjusted his game to the modern court and ball conditions. has a far flatter swing path than djokovic while still using almost the same grip and even more bent arm. not something that could have necessarily been done as effectively with the balls in djokovic’s prime.

 

[Jav]

Carlos was 0-8 in the olympic final 2-18 might be an improvement on that, wasn't Fed 4/24 15usof or 1/17 in french open final?

And so was Nole 0/6. That was a tight serve-dominant BO3 with Nole slightly outplaying Raz.

This was 80% a Sinner choke. Would let the remaining 20% to Nole's credit for "being there".

As far as level goes, OG Nole > AO 26' Nole.

 

[roysid]

It wasn't a tactics problem, he would have won handily had he just played a couple of big points better. He choked.

He was doing the same thing on important points whereas Djokovic was ready to come up with goods. That's make the difference

 

[xFedal]

And so was Nole 0/6. That was a tight serve-dominant BO3 with Nole slightly outplaying Raz.

This was 80% a Sinner choke. Would let the remaining 20% to Nole's credit for "being there".

As far as level goes, OG Nole > AO 26' Nole.

Sinner was gifted the 3rd set though, Novak earnt the 4th and 5th by being clutch.

 

[tennis_pro]

Horrible take. So much empirical data showing he’s elite.

He racked up his stats against nobodies. He was 1-7 against Alcaraz at one point (who maybe even isn't at his peak) and now he loses against fossil Djokovic as a 2-time defending champion in circumsntances where you feel he would have the most advantages. This loss is inexcusable.

Top 10 hardest average backhands ever.

Means absolutely nothing. This is like saying you're better at guitar, because you have faster solos.

Elite sprint speed. Average forehand speed that exceeds fed and many other beloved here on these forums. Absurd winner to unforced error ratio. Average depth of ball better than prime Djokovic.

Yes, amazing. What about his stamina, mental toughness, clutchness etc.?

He's got all of what you mentioned yet he still lost in 2 HC Slams in a row, one against a dude close to 40. The truth is Sinner is a master at doing 6-1 6-2's against guys like de Minaur or Shelton, then faces someone like Alcaraz or Djokovic who plays anything close to a respectable level and he crumbles, you can throw all of his dominance stats and how hard he hits out of the window, means nothing.

This entire forum is full of people just crying weak era ever since wood racquets went away.

Yes, but look at the top 10, actually look at it. You've got Alcaraz/Sinner, Djokovic who's almost 39 and can maybe pull off one miracle per year, Zverev and then guys like Shelton, de Minaur, Fritz, Bublik, Musetti who retires every second Slam and Aliassime. Does this look like a strong field to you? Compare it to 2009 f.e.

 

[PilotPete]

LOL, Sinneraz <<<<<<<<< Fedal. But we must say those 4 players are the Kings of their eras with a third player lapping up the leftovers. Who will be the Djokovic of the Sinneraz era?

 

[tennis_pro]

Well duh. Sinner said that because after the USO he had taken numerous losses to Alcaraz already, so he was just acknowledging the reality that something probably needs to change in order to keep up with a constantly improving rival. I don't know if Fed had ever lost to Safin before that night. If he did, it certainly wasn't a big match. So of course the dominant #1 was going to treat it as a one-off until proven otherwise. Hell, even when Rafa was stacking wins on him it took Roger years before he finally admitted that they were even rivals.

You could shrug off several losses from Alcaraz, but not when he started to truly make a dent to him on HC. At this point you have Sinner who's been in his prime since late 2023/early 2024, Alcaraz at 22 and they still have the same number of HC Slams with Alcaraz actually beating him twice at the US Open in 2022 and 2025. Sinner did change something alright, this time he protected his dignity against Alcaraz by losing to Djokovic LOL.

The biggest issue I see here is that HC was supposed to be Sinner's surface and he got mauled in 2 consecutive HC Slams in the middle of his prime. Fed had issues with Nadal early on, but mostly on clay and outside of clay he only lost to him in a R3 in a Masters and in a 500 final, outside of that he was beating him everywhere (Wimbledon finals, WTF SFs, Miami final) and only started to lose his grip at Wimbledon in 2008 when Nadal was entering his peak while Fed started to decline (and had a crap form overall for most of 2008). This isn't like Fed lost to Safin at the AO in a one off and then later the same year 39-year old Sampras or Agassi defeats him at the US Open, cause that would be the equivalent of Sinner's situation. Someone like a 2005 Fed would beat the crap out of 2026 Djokovic in a HC Slam.

And now it's not like he's just going to say "yeah I blew it against Novak." He's a modern PR trained diplomat. Saying he'll make some improvements going forward is the most milquetoast nothing statement he could offer.

Boring robot, I'd like him 10x more if he was honest instead of providing the most bland answers ever.

 

[MeatTornado]

You could shrug off several losses from Alcaraz, but not when he started to truly make a dent to him on HC. At this point you have Sinner who's been in his prime since late 2023/early 2024, Alcaraz at 22 and they still have the same number of HC Slams with Alcaraz actually beating him twice at the US Open in 2022 and 2025.

Sinner did change something alright, this time he protected his dignity against Alcaraz by losing to Djokovic LOL.

Boring robot, I'd like him 10x more if he was honest instead of providing the most bland answers ever.

His comments after the US Open truly were honest though, and you don't like that either. He was taking too many losses to Alcaraz and he acknowledged that he'd probably have to switch things up and get more unpredictable. So he started trying things in the indoor season and sure enough, he beat Carlos the next time they met. We just have to wait and see what happens the next time they meet in Bo5.

The AO vs Novak was a botched match. He knows it and everyone else knows it. There's not much he can say. Saying he needs to make some small tweaks after losing a SF where he was the better player is nothing to get annoyed about. With Fed's 05 example, he just blamed injuries and took no responsibility for blowing his MP. I'm not sure how that's any better.

 

[tennis_pro]

His comments after the US Open truly were honest though, and you don't like that either. He was taking too many losses to Alcaraz and he acknowledged that he'd probably have to switch things up and get more unpredictable. So he started trying things in the indoor season and sure enough, he beat Carlos the next time they met. We just have to wait and see what happens the next time they meet in Bo5.

One swallow doesn't make a summer, it's hard being dominated all around while you're no 1 (and dominant against the field) and not acknowledge something so glaring. I don't like him overall, he's bland/boring, has zero charisma, has basically the same reaction after every point he wins (fist pump and looks at his camp with a bland face), he's got zero variety and his plan A is to mindlessly beat the crap out of the ball and if it doesn't work then look at plan A again. The only reason he's needed in this era, because without him Alcaraz would be doing 90-2 seasons at this point and pulling off CYGS's for fun.

I don't buy that much into the 2025 WTF win against Alcaraz, combined with the fact that it was in Italy these were probably the best set of circumstances against Alcaraz that he can have and the match was still very close with Alcaraz not being to move at 100% at one point.

2026 AO was a major blow, I think the the next 5-6 months decides how the trajectory of their (Alcaraz/Sinner) careers can go from here. If Sinner wins a Slam especially beating Alcaraz then he's back in business, but if Alcaraz wins the FO and especially Wimbledon then he could run away with race a bit.

The AO vs Novak was a botched match. He knows it and everyone else knows it. There's not much he can say. Saying he needs to make some small tweaks after losing a SF where he was the better player is nothing to get annoyed about. With Fed's 05 example, he just blamed injuries. I'm not sure how that's any better.

There are some sources that Fed was injured at the 2005 AO (2005 WTF was pretty obvious, though), but he still got into a position where he should've won and it maybe affected him more in the 5th set when in reality he should've won that match in 4.

 

[Fabrivitx]

i think there is definitely a mental issue with sinner. the fact that he is still using the auxetic 1.0 pj shows this. this would’ve been the perfect time to switch after such a devastating loss. but yet he still has been seen using it. if you aren’t mentally strong enough to use a racquet that almost the exact same and plays the exact same then i don’t think you’re mentally strong enough to overcome alcaraz.

During preparations for the AO in January, Sinner tested the new model in practice but expressed strong dislike for it. He was caught on video saying "The racket sucks" during a session with Taylor Fritz.
He quickly switched back to his previous setup the older Head Speed model with 2022 cosmetics/paintjob for matche

 

[Fabrivitx]

Sinner was gifted the 3rd set though, Novak earnt the 4th and 5th by being clutch.

The billion BP not converted says otherwise

 

[reaper]

Was it a bad loss for Sinner? Yes, it was, he shouldn't have lost the match.

That being said, a couple of points here and there and he wins the match comfortably. His conversion on BP was what hurt him the most, and there has to be an element of tactical approach there. Lets not forget that Sinner beat Djokovic in their last three slam matches, and overall won five matches in a row against him, something only Nadal did back in 2008-2009.

I think the match against Alcaraz at USO can easily be justified....that was the best slam run of Alcaraz's career, and one of the best runs in USO history, plus Sinner himself was having issues with his serving that event. He did fix his serving post USO, and his serve has been a strong weapon since.

In the Djokovic match, it was about being indecisive on BP chances, and that could be part of his tactical approach, he might have been a little too casual coming into the match, already having one eye on Alcaraz, considering Djokovic had only one one set against him since 2023.

It was a lesson learnt, and I do feel Sinner will learn and adapt. The win by Djokovic is a one off IMO, not some sort of downward trend.

Something that Jim Courier said in commentary during the AO was that "A good shot is a good shot irrespective of when you hit it." Players can really tie themselves in knots when they start losing a lot of break points, with Djokovic the master of exploiting doubt when it creeps into his opponent's mind. Sinner on one break point got a weak second serve to the centre of the box(a rarity from Djokovic) that he tried to hit so hard that he completely lost his shape and pulled it wide. Winning your share of break points probably doesn't take tactical mastery, or clubbing the fastest forehand ever hit. It just takes playing good points, by hitting good shots. A lot of players are better keeping things simple.

 

[Hitman]

Something that Jim Courier said in commentary during the AO was that "A good shot is a good shot irrespective of when you hit it." Players can really tie themselves in knots when they start losing a lot of break points, with Djokovic the master of exploiting doubt when it creeps into his opponent's mind. Sinner on one break point got a weak second serve to the centre of the box(a rarity from Djokovic) that he tried to hit so hard that he completely lost his shape and pulled it wide. Winning your share of break points probably doesn't take tactical mastery, or clubbing the fastest forehand ever hit. It just takes playing good points, by hitting good shots. A lot of players are better keeping things simple.

Yes, but I would argue that playing good point is the tactical mastery you need to do.

I'll give you an example. Nadal on BP on second serve on clay.

His tactic is to run around the BH side to any serve that is hit down the middle and hit a very high loopy forehand return. The shot is designed to pull the server out wide to left off the court, allowing Nadal with his second shot to hit a winner into the now open court.

 

[Genie Of the Bank]

Jannik Sinner answers Sky sport tennis questions on the eve of the 2026 Qatar Exxonmobil Open:

"It's a defeat, from which I learned a lot. We both played well, tactically I should have know little bit better, I had lot chances but I didn't take them; sometimes you lose, it's normal, and we mustn't forget that."
"We're trying changing small details on the pitch, things that take a bit of time to become as natural as possible, little bit more aggressive in closing points and other things"
"The aspect that needs to be changed isn't just technical, it can also be tactical or mental: how we view certain situations on and off the pitch. There are many things that can be improved."
"Alcaraz is doing incredibile things, i congratulated him for his first AO slam"

I would say he is de satisfied because he lost from 38 and a half year old Djokovic with slowed knee.
He can beat Carlos at AO and Wimbledon but he cant slip any more at slam level if he wants to be in the top 5 of all time.

 

[vix]

Sometimes I feel people only look at age and match stats. Did you guys REALLY watch the match? Change Sinner with Carlos in the semis and I think Novak beats him, maybe even without needing a 5th set. And then Novak probably would have lost to Sinner in the final due to lack of stamina.

 

[Genie Of the Bank]

During preparations for the AO in January, Sinner tested the new model in practice but expressed strong dislike for it. He was caught on video saying "The racket sucks" during a session with Taylor Fritz.
He quickly switched back to his previous setup the older Head Speed model with 2022 cosmetics/paintjob for matche

Novak lost 2 years of results when he switched from Wilson to Head racquet at the start of 2009 .