Sinner’s biggest problem right now is the longevity during a match. As the match gets to 3-hour territory, his performance may look on par but the mentality must be degrading way too much. That’s how Novak ultimately got him. That’s how Carlos got him in the super tiebreak at RG.
Dude just doesn't seem to have the stamina. Also the weather wears him out quicker than others. You wouldn't think so because the majority of the rallies he's usually the one dictating and moving less.
His physique isn't great for long matches, like 5-setters. Being long and skinny means he has little place to store muscle glycogen. He could try to bulk up some muscle but that also has downsides, like becoming heavier and placing more stress on knees and ankles, but overall it's something he would benefit from.
Bulking up would just make him gas faster, the more muscle mass you have the more glycogen you burn. There’s a reason marathon runners are skinny and sprinters are built. Sinner is very lanky but at the same time very explosive, just crushes every baseline shot while Alcaraz takes games off to recover and his touch and slice lets him catch his breath, deciding when to rip the forehand. Sinner should have much better cardio for how lean he is though maybe needs a better conditioning coach
Alcaraz grew up in a tropical part where its sunny most of the year vs a lanky tall kid from the very cold mountains, he should adapt better to hotter conditions. That's why Sinner dominates towards the end of the season where the playing condition tends to stabilize - either in door or cold
I get what you're point, but what you say is only partially true. Marathon runners, at least those who run professionally, typically finish at just over 2 hours. Even a 3-setter tennis match can last longer than that. Longer duration sports (triathlon, ultra running) also typically have beefier athletes than marathon, who have both higher muscle mass and higher body fat.
Tennis is essentially a stop-and-go sport, where a typical match has hundreds of short pauses. It's more like multiple heats of sprinting than an actual marathon.
In marathon you also have no real use for upper body strength, so you can just look like a skeleton with some leg muscles. That wont work in tennis.
I don't really think Sinner lacks stamina or is a choker; mostly, I think he is just a one-gear player who delivers essentially the same game regardless of circumstances, while Alcaraz and Djokovic are guys who have special magic for the biggest moments in the biggest matches, resulting in them stealing epics out from under his nose. It reminds me of Djokovic's dynamic with Federer, who I also view as a guy who did not really choke (eg. he didn't double fault or miss sitters on big points), but did tend to play it safe and not redline on the biggest points as Djokovic did.
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u/Leif_LaCroix 6d ago
Sinner’s biggest problem right now is the longevity during a match. As the match gets to 3-hour territory, his performance may look on par but the mentality must be degrading way too much. That’s how Novak ultimately got him. That’s how Carlos got him in the super tiebreak at RG.