Alcaraz’s coach reveals 15-day Sinner-focused training camp that masterminded US Open triumph

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has revealed that the Spaniard’s US Open triumph against Jannik Sinner was the result of a 15-day training program designed to overcome the Italian.

Alcaraz defeated Sinner in four sets on Monday morning AEST to claim his sixth grand slam title at just 22 years of age, and reclaim the world No.1 ranking.

It was the third straight grand slam final between the pair, who left the great Rod Laver asking, “Who can stop these two?”.

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Alcaraz completed an epic comeback from two sets to love down at Roland Garros, but Sinner got the better of him on the grass of Wimbledon, to hand the Spaniard his only loss in a grand slam final to date.

That defeat led to Alcaraz’s team to ponder, ‘how can we stop Sinner?’.

With the second hard court slam of the year remaining, a surface Sinner had not lost a grand slam match on since a five-set loss to Alexander Zverev in the fourth round in New York in 2023, the task was a big one.

Alcaraz now boasts a 10-5 record against his biggest rival, who he joked he sees more than his family during his winner’s speech, but the numbers were not all that they seem.

He was obviously beaten at Wimbledon, and Sinner outplayed him for much of the French Open decider.

That is why Alcaraz needed to get to work, because it was clear that the wave of momentum in their match-up was against him.

The result was the 15-day bootcamp that not involved gruelling sessions on the court, but deep reviews of those two grand slam finals.

“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,” Ferrero, who won the French Open in 2003 and reached world No.1, said.

“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.”

Ferrero added: “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.

“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.”

The planning and preparation also worked wonders beyond his encounters with Sinner, as Alcaraz has won the last eight tournament he has played in.

It is an incredibly impressive record that has largely been credited to the improvements in his serving.

Alcaraz’s serve was broken just three times throughout the US Open, and he only gave Sinner one break point opportunity in the title.

The Italian showed how good he is at seizing opportunities by taking the chance on his way to winning the second set, the only set Alcaraz dropped for the tournament.

Ferrero acknowledged that his protege’s greater consistency with his serve was “one of the keys” in New York, but there was also another factor they had worked on during the 15-day bootcamp.

Ferrero began working with his fellow Spaniard in 2019, when Alcaraz was just 16 years old, but he has seen the talented youngster in action since he hit his teens.

As well as stunning stroke play, an eye-catching feature of Alcaraz on the court was a beaming smile.

It was something that disappeared in tense moments in big matches in recent times, but it was back in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“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.”