A warning sign for Jannik Sinner: Paolo Bertolucci isn’t holding back

Alexander Zverev triumphed at the U.S. Open, defeating home-court favorite Ben Shelton in the final. The German was crowned champion after a four-set battle: 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, and 6-2 in favor of the Hamburg native, who is now closing in on Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings.

Speaking to RTL, Paolo Bertolucci analyzed Zverev’s victory over Shelton as follows: “I really liked his consistency and the quality of his returns in the final. The American has improved a lot lately; he’s playing flashes of stellar tennis, but Zverev’s consistency and mental toughness to always stay in the match made the difference.”

“Zverev isn’t far behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner,” Bertolucci added. “He lost to Alcaraz in the Australian Open semifinals 7-5 in the fifth set, and he played a splendid final against Sinner at Wimbledon. He’s a top player; he’s still a little behind, but he’s the only one who can truly challenge Sinner and Alcaraz.”

“Sinner and Alcaraz have been sidelined for quite some time, allowing the German to make up a lot of ground. Now it’s down to the final stretch, but I think it’s crucial for Sinner to recover from his injury and get back to the form he had at the start of the year,” concluded the former tennis champion.