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Alcaraz turns focus to Career Grand Slam: 'It's my first goal'

Carlos Alcaraz continued to add to his resume on Sunday with his second US Open title and his sixth major overall. It will not take the 22-year-old long to turn his attention to his biggest goal: completing the Career Grand Slam.

The Spaniard has claimed two crowns apiece at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. The only major left is the Australian Open, where he will try to secure glory at the start of next season.

“It’s my first goal, to be honest. When I just go to the preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there,” Alcaraz said. “It’s the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam. So it’s going to be great.”

Alcaraz did more than lift the US Open trophy. By defeating Jannik Sinner, the 23-time tour-level titlist also recaptured World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings from the Italian. It is the new No. 1’s first time at the top of the standings since September 2023.

“Since I got the chance to recover the No. 1, it was one of the first goals that I had during the season, just to try to recover the No. 1 as soon as possible or end the year as the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “For me, achieving that once again, it is a dream. Doing [it] in the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better. It’s everything I’m working for, and I’m really happy to be able to live these experiences.”

Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, always tries to extract the maximum from his charge. But even the former World No. 1 said Sunday evening on multiple occasions that Alcaraz played the “perfect” match against Sinner.

“He always wants me to play at my best, and not too many times I would say he’s said that, that I played perfectly. So for me, it’s a great win,” Alcaraz said. “But, yeah, he’s right. I think I played perfect. I played perfectly.”

The champion lost just one set in the tournament — against Sinner on Sunday — and dropped serve just three times, becoming the second men’s singles champion at a major since 1991 to lose three or fewer service games en route to glory. The only other man who has done it, Pete Sampras, accomplished the feat at Wimbledon in 1994 and 1997.

“I feel like this is the best tournament. Since the first rounds to the end of the tournament, the best tournament so far that I have ever played,” Alcaraz said. “The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really, really high, which I’m really proud of, because it’s something that I’ve been working on, to be really consistent.”

Alcaraz and Sinner have met in three consecutive major finals, and it is safe to say this will not be their last clash in a big moment. Alcaraz now leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 10-5, but will continue looking for ways to learn from their encounters.

“I love watching him play. I think it is unbelievable what he’s doing. Secondly, it’s because I love to study him, how he plays, how he feels on the tournaments just [so] if I played him in that tournament, just to have feedback how he’s been playing in the tournaments,” Alcaraz said. “I wouldn’t say he’s predictable, but I know his style. I know what he’s going to do or his main weapons [in] his game. So I just try to be focused on that.”

For now, Alcaraz will enjoy this moment. There are goals like winning the two remaining ATP Masters 1000 events of the season and triumphing at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, but the Spaniard will soak in the rewards of his hard work in New York.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s great. I’m working really hard just to lift this trophy. It’s my second one, but it’s still a dream, a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “The second one here is super special.”

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'Don't be afraid' – how 'faultless' Alcaraz delivered statement win

Before the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz told himself to “go for it, don’t be afraid”. That motto saw him go on to take the title.

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Ferrero reveals Alcaraz's 15-day training camp focused on Sinner

Two months ago, Carlos Alcaraz fell to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final and there was plenty to think about. The Spaniard had beaten Sinner for the Roland Garros trophy, but needed to save three championship points to do so.

Then at the grass-court major, Sinner triumphed in four sets to claim his fourth Slam trophy and pull to within one of his rival. Alcaraz had plenty to think about, and that is exactly what he did according to coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

“I think it was very important, because we maybe practised for 15 days, very focused on the details that we have to improve to play against Jannik,” said Ferrero, who revealed that they reviewed those matches. “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.”

Alcaraz was ready for the US Open final, a winner-takes-all clash for the season’s final major trophy as well as World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 22-year-old produced a nearly flawless performance to beat the top seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 42 minutes.

“I think we prepared the match very good, watching some matches and seeing the specific details we had to play. Carlos did 100 per cent [of what he needed to]. It’s easy to say and very difficult to do it,” Ferrero said. “The performance today was perfect. I think he compromised [with] himself to go for the match all the time, tried to put pressure on the rival sooner than Jannik. I think it’s one of the keys.

“I think these guys hit the ball, both of them, very, very fast, and I think who hits first takes the advantage on points. Carlos has maybe more variety [in] his game, and he can do more, like slice, go to the net, and do more things than maybe Jannik. But I think it helps a lot to change a little bit the way of the game.”

One thing that helped Alcaraz throughout the tournament, including in the championship match, was tremendous serving. The champion won 98 of 101 service games in the tournament and faced just one break point against the Italian, who converted his lone opportunity.

“I think in this moment it’s maybe the moment that he has more improvement in his serve, and it’s been very useful on the court, and in important moments he’s using it a lot,” Ferrero said. “During all Cincinnati and also during all US Open, I think the serve is one of the keys to win the tournaments, for sure.”

Ferrero recalled that Alcaraz has worn a wide smile across his face since he was 12 or 13 years old — with the exception of difficult moments on court. But that joie de vivre was clear inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he thrilled the crowd en route to his sixth major title.

“We’re talking all the time that he has to try to have joy on the court all the time and try to be not too stressed on the court and try to go for the points,” Ferrero said. “The way he plays, I think it’s a little bit easier than maybe [for] others.”

It might not have been easy for Alcaraz on Sunday, but he improved to 10-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sinner and by doing so split the season’s four majors with the Italian.

“I would say that the match was perfect for Carlos,” Ferrero said. “And the performance was unbelievable.”

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Sinner willing to lose matches evolving his game if it means beating Alcaraz

After suffering his seventh defeat in his past eight Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Carlos Alcaraz — a loss that also cost him the World No. 1 ranking — Jannik Sinner admits it’s time for a change.

The 24-year-old Italian fell in four sets to Alcaraz in the US Open final on Sunday and, reflecting on the trajectory of their rivalry, he vowed to shake things up. Speaking in his post-tournament press conference, Sinner acknowledged he had become too ‘predictable’ and stressed the need to evolve his game if he hopes to turn the tables.

“I was very predictable today on court. He did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays. Now it’s going to be on me if I want to make changes or not,” Sinner said after his 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat. “That’s definitely [what] we are going to work on. I’m trying to be more prepared for the next match that I will play against him.

“It also depends on how you arrive to play against Carlos. One thing is when the scoreline [or] matches before are comfortable but you always do the same things, like I did, for example, during this tournament, I didn’t make one serve-volley, didn’t use a lot of drop shots, and then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos where you have to go out of the comfort zone.

“So I’m going to aim to maybe even lose some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player. At the end of the day, that’s my main goal.”

Sinner had been virtually untouchable on hard courts in recent years, arriving in the final at Flushing Meadows on a 27-match unbeaten streak at majors on the surface. Yet Alcaraz has now defeated him four straight times on what has long been Sinner’s strongest ground.

The foundation of Sinner’s dominance has been his ability to blast through opponents from the baseline, a weapon he used to defeat Alcaraz for his first Wimbledon title in July. But with the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings on the line at the US Open, Sinner was simply outplayed by Alcaraz, who hit double the amount of winners (42 to 21) throughout their two-hour, 42-minute battle.

“He has improved. I felt like [he] was a bit cleaner today. The things I did well in London, he did better today,” Sinner said, comparing their battles at Wimbledon and the US Open. “That’s [the] result. I felt like he was doing everything slightly better today, especially serving, both sides, both swings very clean.

“I think that’s it, I give lots of credit to him, because he handled the situation better than I did. He raised his level when he had to. I’m still proud of myself, about the season I’m playing and making, but yeah, he played better than me today.”

Although Sinner was unable to defend his US Open crown and will slip to World No. 2 on Monday, he is proud of the achievements he has made across 2025. With titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and runs to the final at Roland Garros and the US Open, Sinner became just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach the championship match at all four Grand Slams in a season.

“Overall, the season result-wise, amazing,” said Sinner. “Four Grand Slam finals of the year. Two Grand Slams won, two times lost in the final, it’s incredible results, no? [I’m] very happy, and now we try to finish the year as strong as we can.”

Having been knocked off his 65-week reign atop the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner finds himself in the role of the chaser rather than the hunted — a shift in perspective he admits could prove valuable.

“Sometimes adding just something, and I think that’s going to be or that’s going to make a difference from my personal point of view that I can say that I’m going to become a better tennis player,” said Sinner.

“I’m going to change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but they can make big differences. Then we see how it goes. I’m looking forward to playing these matches again. Something new is now I’m not No. 1 anymore, so it also changes a little bit that you chase.”

Sinner will leave New York with a 37-5 record on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Although he is now 2,590 points adrift of Alcaraz in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion will look to close the gap in the season’s final stretch as their battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours continues.

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Lendl, Connors, Safin among many ATP No. 1 Club members at US Open final

Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Marat Safin were among the members of the ATP No. 1 Club who are in attendance at the US Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Lendl handed Alcaraz the trophy after the Spaniard’s triumph. The three-time US Open champion was seated just below fellow former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Stefan Edberg, a two-time US Open winner, during the match.

<img alt=”Marat Safin (middle) assists with the coin toss before the US Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/07/19/46/safin-us-open-2025-final-coin-toss.jpg” />
^{Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images}
Only 29 players have reached No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings since 1973 and at least 12 of them are inside Arthur Ashe Stadium including Sinner and Alcaraz, who were playing a winner-takes-all match from which Alcaraz emerged as the new World No. 1.

Safin assisted with the coin toss and Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach, was in the Spaniard’s box.

John McEnroe and Jim Courier were working on commentary, while other No. 1s in attendance include Lendl, Connors, Andre Agassi, Mats Wilander and Patrick Rafter.

Click here to learn more about the ATP No. 1 Club and the stars who make up the elite group.

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Nadal headlines social media reactions to Alcaraz's US Open victory

Rafael Nadal headlined social media reactions to Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open victory on Sunday, congratulating his fellow Spaniard on the title and his return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Congratulations @carlosalcaraz! Champion again 🏆 of the @usopen and number 1! Congratulations on all the work behind this great season 💪🏼 

¡Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz! ¡De nuevo Campeón 🏆 del @usopen y número 1!

Felicidades por todo el trabajo que hay detrás de esta gran temporada 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/K6KTfmOwxm

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 7, 2025

Other stars who wished the Spaniard well include Rod Laver and Billie Jean King. View more social media reactions below.

Congratulations to US champ @carlosalcaraz, who would not be denied today in his enthralling rivalry with Sinner. Clocking up the majors – who can stop these two? Next stop @LaverCup – I cannot wait. 🚀

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 7, 2025

Cheers to @carlosalcaraz, who has captured the #USOpen men’s singles title for the second time! https://t.co/0IkDXbqY1W

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 7, 2025

congrats 🍾 Escape from Alcaraz @carlosalcaraz on winning your 2nd @usopen and 6th slam, absolutely brilliant the whole tournament 🏟️ long.

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) September 7, 2025

En la ciudad que nunca duerme, creo que hoy @carlosalcaraz no dormirá mucho 😂🗽

Campeón del #USOpen y nuevo Nº1 del mundo. Felicidades, amigo!!!🔝🔝🔝 pic.twitter.com/JG14nIKbad

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) September 7, 2025

Congratulations @carlosalcaraz on a fantastic tournament and an amazing performance in the #finals 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 https://t.co/Atuah9EzFE

— Katrina Adams 🦋 (@katadams68) September 7, 2025

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Alcaraz edges Sinner trilogy to win US Open

Carlos Alcaraz triumphs in the latest chapter of his compelling rivalry with Jannik Sinner, earning a four-set victory to regain the US Open title.

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Alcaraz extends Big Titles lead over Sinner with sixth Slam title

Carlos Alcaraz extended his Big Titles lead over rival Jannik Sinner by defeating the Italian in the US Open final on Sunday.

Alcaraz now owns 14 Big Titles — a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals — and has earned six majors, the second-most Slam trophies of any active player behind only Novak Djokovic (24). Sinner owns nine Big Titles.

Before the 2025 season, Alcaraz had never claimed more than three Big Titles in a season. The 22-year-old has now won five of them this year, including two of the four majors: Roland Garros and the US Open. He will also have opportunities to add Big Titles in Shanghai, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals.

Big Titles Won: Alcaraz & Sinner

Alcaraz has earned multiple trophies at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. The new No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will try to complete his career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, where he has never advanced past the quarter-finals.

By earning his sixth major crown, Alcaraz is now level with Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, and is one victory from tying John McEnroe and Mats Wilander. All those stars are members of the ATP No. 1 Club.

It is the second consecutive season in which Alcaraz and Sinner have split the four Slams. They have combined to triumph at eight straight majors.

Alcaraz has won a Big Title for every 3.8 tournaments he has played in his career. Only Djokovic (3.3) and Rafael Nadal (3.5) have triumphed at a better rate than the Spaniard, with all-time greats like Roger Federer (4.4), Pete Sampras (4.9) and Andre Agassi (6.1) behind him.

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Alcaraz takes US Open crown, No. 1 from Sinner with New York triumph

Carlos Alcaraz dislodged Jannik Sinner’s grasp on two of tennis’ greatest honours on Sunday afternoon in New York.

Clubbing double the number of winners as Sinner, the Spaniard delivered a classy all-around display to down his great rival 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and claim his second US Open title. As well as denying Sinner back-to-back crowns at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz simultaneously ensured he will on Monday replace the Italian as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, ending his 65-week reign.

CHAMPION AGAIN 🏆 NUMBER ONE, ONCE MORE 🥇🔥

Alcaraz triumphs in New York, lifting the trophy again AND reclaiming his spot as World No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over Sinner 🚀@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/jKOqQMGS7E

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 7, 2025

Sunday’s championship match in New York was the third consecutive hotly anticipated Grand Slam final clash between Sinner and Alcaraz. True to form, the pair produced plenty of mesmerising rallies featuring ferocious groundstrokes and frequent forays to the net. Yet aside from the second set, when Sinner found consistency in his baseline striking to overwhelm his opponent and level the match, it was Alcaraz who maintained command throughout.

The 22-year-old outhit Sinner by 42 winners to 21 and dropped just nine points behind his first serve in a clinical two-hour, 42-minute display. Broken only once in the match, Alcaraz finished his US Open run having won 98 of 101 service games. He is the second Grand Slam singles champion to drop three or fewer service games en route to a title since 1991, after Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 1994 (103 of 106 service games won) and 1997 (116 of 118).

“My team, my family, I am really lucky to have you guys, to be honest,” said Alcaraz at the trophy presentation. “The hard work you do to make me even better, not only in the professional part, but the personal part as well. Every achievement that I am [making] is thanks to you, and this one is no less, it’s also yours.”

In his speech, Sinner was quick to congratulate Alcaraz, who has won a Tour-leading seven titles and 61 matches in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Between them, the two players have won the past eight majors.

“You are doing an amazing job,” Sinner said to Alcaraz and his team. “I know [there’s] a lot of hard work behind this performance today, you were better than me. Enjoy it. It’s a great moment.”

Alcaraz, who also secured his initial rise to World No. 1 with a US Open triumph in 2022, will on Monday return to the top of tennis’ mountain for the first time since September 2023. Coincidentally, that will also mark the 22nd anniversary of the day his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, first reached No. 1 after making the 2003 US Open final. Alcaraz is the second youngest man to win six major men’s singles titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg.

Youngest Men To Win Sixth Major Title (Open Era)

Sinner, who was on a 27-match winning streak at hard-court majors before Sunday, was bidding to become just the seventh man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slam singles titles in the same season. By reaching the final in New York, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion had already become the youngest man in the Open Era to play the final at all four majors in a season: Sinner also reached the final at Roland Garros, where he held three championship points before falling to Alcaraz in an all-time classic.

Yet while Alcaraz found his groove early inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Italian struggled to consistently produce his trademark combination of power and precision from the baseline. Alcaraz frequently dictated the extended rallies and he converted five of 11 break points he earned en route to extending his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Sinner to 10-5.

A star-studded crowd gathered inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Alcaraz overcome Sinner, who fell just short of completing the first successful US Open men’s singles defence since Roger Federer in 2008: Celebrities in attendance at Flushing Meadows included NBA star Steph Curry, rock icon Bruce Springsteen and Alcaraz’s countryman, football manager Pep Guardiola.

After the final was delayed by approximately 50 minutes due to security measures in place to accommodate US president Donald Trump, Alcaraz wasted little time taking control of the latest installment of his rivalry with Sinner. He took the ball early on return from the opening game and his approach appeared to rush Sinner, who made an uncharacteristically high nine unforced errors in the opening set alone.

With his back against the wall, Sinner found his footing by delivering a barrage of clean hitting to peg back Alcaraz in the second set. The 24-year-old did not make any obvious tactical changes to engineer that turnaround, but simply began to outlast his opponent in the baseline exchanges and he notched a decisive break to love in the fifth game.

Dropping his first set of the 2025 US Open only appeared to galvanise Alcaraz, however. Sinner was powerless to stop his opponent in the third set, when the Spaniard raced into a 5-0 lead and finished it off having remarkably outhit his opponent by 11 winners to one.

Sinner’s struggles to hold serve continued into the fourth set, and the Italian was forced to fend off two break points in the opening game. The pressure ultimately told in the fifth game, however, when Alcaraz broke serve for 3-2 and a lead that he never relinquished.

As well as securing his return to No. 1, Alcaraz has taken greater control of the race for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2025. He now leads Sinner by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Both players have already qualified for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

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Alcaraz returns to World No. 1 following US Open triumph

Carlos Alcaraz has sealed his return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since 2023 by defeating rival Jannik Sinner in the US Open final on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Spaniard will on Monday begin his fifth stint as World No. 1 and 37th week overall at the summit. Alcaraz jumped ahead of Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Rankings at the start of the tournament, piling on the pressure before confirming his return to No. 1 with a high-quality 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Italian in the final.

Carlos Alcaraz returns to World No.1!

In 2022, Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in the US Open final to claim his first major title and simultaneously become the youngest No. 1 in history at 19 years, four months. On Sunday, Alcaraz won another winner-takes-all clash — this time with Sinner — to return to No. 1 for the first time since 10 September 2023.

Sinner, who became the first Italian to reach World No. 1 on 10 June 2024, held the position for 65 consecutive weeks. His debut reign ranks as the fourth-longest in history, after Roger Federer (237), Jimmy Connors (160) and Lleyton Hewitt (75).

Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, rose to World No. 1 himself for the first time 22 years ago in 2003 after reaching the US Open final. Earlier that season, he won his lone Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

At 19, Alcaraz became the youngest man to claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2022, making him the first teen to accomplish that feat. Now with a Tour-leading 61 wins and seven titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz is well-positioned to reclaim that accolade in 2025.

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