Andy Roddick has pinpointed the one thing Jannik Sinner must work on after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final.
Sinner struggled against Alcaraz at the US Open, and fell to the Spaniard in a Grand Slam final for the second time in 2025.
The Italian lost in four sets to Alcaraz, meaning he gave up his World No. 1 status for the first time in over a year.
Andy Roddick has revealed one aspect of Sinner’s game he must improve if he wants to reach the top of the ATP Tour again.
Andy Roddick says Jannik Sinner must improve his serve after US Open final loss
John McEnroe slammed Sinner’s serve during the US Open final, and Roddick has also chimed in on the Italian’s normally reliable weapon.
“The serve was as bad as it’s been probably in a year since they adjusted, and it massively improved,” said Roddick on Served.
Roddick highlighted the biggest issue the Italian will have to work on if he wants to challenge Alcaraz. “Something wasn’t quite right with the serve,” continued the former World No. 1. “That’s number one.”
The American former pro also questioned whether Sinner’s plan of reverting to a serve and volley technique would work for the star.
Sinner teased becoming more ‘unpredictable’ by using serve and volley in his post-match press conference after losing to the Spaniard.
“He says serve and volley. It’s tough to serve and volley when you’re making 40 percent of your first serves,” explained Roddick. “That’s a tough one. It’s tough to commit and adjust and do all that.”
After their US Open final meeting, Sinner trails Alcaraz in their head-to-head 10 to 5 in their 15 meetings.
What Andy Roddick suggests Jannik Sinner does to beat Carlos Alcaraz
Sinner was largely played off the court by Alcaraz, as the Italian rarely had any answers for his Spanish rival.
Roddick believes there was a complacency to Sinner’s gameplan in the US Open final and it cost him a fifth Grand Slam trophy.
“Carlos almost came out in the extreme and was saying: ‘I am going to slice, I am going to play up.’ There was no rhythm for Jannik,” explained Roddick in the same podcast.
“When Jannik gets into where he can click, click, click, click, click. He becomes a robot. He didn’t let him get into that thing where he knew what was coming.”
Roddick then came up with a potential solution for the Italian, which would see him come out of his comfort zone.
“Maybe Jannik has to be a bit of a psycho at the beginning of matches. Maybe he has to throw in some serve and volleys,” concluded Roddick.
Sinner has lost seven of his last eight meetings with Alcaraz, dating back to the 2024 Indian Wells semi-final.
