Jannik Sinner raised plenty of eyebrows when he suggested he was willing to lose matches in a big to improve after his US Open final defeat against Carlos Alcaraz.

The Italian lost the world No 1 ranking as he was beaten in four sets by his big rival in New York, with Alcaraz’s dominance in the match inspiring Sinner to suggest he needed to remould his game to challenge the young Spaniard.

“I can say that I’m gonna become a better tennis player and I’m gonna change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but, they can make big differences and then we see how it goes,” said Sinner.

“You know, I’m looking forward to play these matches again, something new is now that I’m not No 1 anymore so you know. Now you chase, it’s different.

“Maybe I will lose some matches from now on, but I will try to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player and because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.”

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He went on to expand on those comments ahead of his opening match against former US Open champion Marin Cilic at the China Open in Beijing.

“We’ve been reflecting a lot on that final,” said Sinner. “We are working on new things. We are changing a lot of small things. The amount of mistakes at the moment is, for sure, a little bit higher, but I hope that this recovers.

“It’s just a question of time. I don’t know how much I’m able to [implement changes] on the actual match court because one thing is practise and one thing is match. Let’s see. I’m very motivated.

“It’s great to work on something new, then we see how this ends up. We always try to move forward. One step in front is always better than two steps back. Let’s see what we can do.”

The suggestion that Sinner was willing to ‘lose some matches’ as he experimented with areas of his game was an interesting comment that stirred plenty of debate.

Now the former coach of Grand Slam winners Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka has given his verdict on Sinner’s mindset, with Patrick Mouratoglou suggesting his comments were the mark of a champion who is striving to realise all of his potential on court. 

“Would you be willing to lose today… in order to win tomorrow? Jannik Sinner is. And that’s the sign of the very best,” stated Mouratoglou on LinkedIn.

“After the US Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner admitted: Maybe even losing some matches, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player.

“That statement says a lot. Jannik has realised that if he wants to take the next step, he cannot just rely on what already works. Even though he wins the vast majority of his matches with his current game, he knows he needs to bring more variety, serve & volley, drop shots, change of pace, to beat Carlos.

“But here is the key: what you work on in practice is not enough. If you don’t apply it in matches, it will never become automatic. And in a Grand Slam final, you will always fall back to your habits.

“Back on tour in Beijing, Jannik has made it clear: this won’t be a revolution. He and his team (Darren Cahill & Simone Vagnozzi) are working on small adjustments — like his serve — but the goal is not to change his identity as a player. It’s about adding details, balance, and becoming more complete.

“As he said himself: “It’s not like I’m going to be a completely new player here.” It will take time.

“Jannik is ready to ‘pay the price’ of progress: losing matches now in order to win the biggest ones later. That’s a courageous mindset, and the right one.”

Sinner will look to win tournaments and the big prize money up for grabs over the next few weeks as he aims to modify his game and this masterful performer is more than good enough to continue winning while he is evolving.

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