That racquet toss was a signal": Petkovic reveals the hidden turning point of the Alcaraz-Sinner final

When a rare gesture reveals a major shift: Jannik Sinner cracked without exploding, then spoke without blaming. A behavior that fascinates Andrea Petkovic and could signal a change in direction.

After a near-perfect run, Sinner did not display his usual level of play against Alcaraz in the US Open final (6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4). Unforced errors, second serves, frustration—the Italian suffered his second Grand Slam final defeat of the season and, in the process, lost his throne as world number one. A first for him.

Symbolic gestures of frustration?

While the 24-year-old player has experienced disappointments before, one gesture caught the attention of some tennis observers. Indeed, he threw his racquet in a moment of frustration. A very rare occurrence for him and one that is telling, according to former world number nine Andrea Petkovic.

"We rarely see Sinner express his emotions, but on this occasion, he tossed the ball in the air twice out of frustration and even threw his racquet. It was delicate, as if not to damage it, but unusual for Jannik. For me, these are signs that he wasn’t yet at 100%.

But, being a perfect gentleman, he didn’t say anything to the press to avoid spoiling Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph. However, he indicated that he had become too predictable, while Carlos has many game models and variations in his repertoire. Isn’t it frightening to think that Jannik Sinner will likely become a better tennis player after his final defeat, when you hear him talk about it?