'Don't be afraid' - how 'faultless' Alcaraz beat Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz has won six Grand Slam titles

Before the US Open began, Carlos Alcaraz was asked to write a message to himself on a slip of paper.

The Spaniard scribbled: "Go for it. Don't be afraid."

Handed the paper after his stunning performance to beat Jannik Sinner in the final, securing a sixth Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking in the process, Alcaraz smiled and said: "I think that's something I did today".

The Alcaraz that turned up to the New York final was a different beast to the one that lost in the Wimbledon showpiece in July.

The 22-year-old said he went back and studied his Wimbledon loss to learn what he needed to do to beat Sinner.

And it worked - he produced what coach Juan Carlos Ferrero described as "a perfect performance" to clinch a second US Open title.

"This is best tournament so far that I have played," Alcaraz said.

"The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really high, which I'm really proud of.

"The three weeks I spent here are a privilege."

'Not a single human can reach that level'

Put Alcaraz on the biggest stages and he thrives. It is where he belongs - and where he has ended up time and time again in 2025.

Since April, he has reached eight finals in a row across three different surfaces, winning six of them.

Victory over Sinner extended his winning streak to 13 matches. He has lost just one match since May - and that was to Sinner in the Wimbledon final.

He is the second-youngest man, behind Bjorn Borg, to win six major singles titles. He has now won the US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open twice, becoming the first man to win multiple Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces before turning 23.

Remarkably, he is only an Australian Open title away from completing a career Grand Slam.

Few would bet against him and Sinner meeting in the Melbourne showpiece, where Sinner is the defending champion.

Sinner is largely seen as the better hard court player of the pair, but Alcaraz was dominant in New York. The one set he lost was in the final to Sinner, and he was only broken three times across 22 sets - a remarkable statistic, given he played Sinner and Djokovic, two of the greatest returners in the game.

"Alcaraz played at a level that not a single human being on the planet can reach at the moment," former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He is unplayable at this level."

Alcaraz has spoken about his love for golf after winning matches at recent Grand Slam events

Alcaraz's serve was the bedrock of a brilliant performance, neutralising Sinner's strengths while setting the Spaniard up to play his naturally flamboyant, big-hitting game.

Against Sinner, he hit 10 aces to zero double faults, landed 61% of his first serves and won 83% of points behind it.

Ferrero said they decided to work on Alcaraz's serve after his Australian Open loss to Djokovic in January, describing it as "key to all the tournaments".

"Alcaraz was absolutely faultless," former British number one Tim Henman told Sky Sports.

"He was hitting his spots on serve and played with power, control and aggression.

"He really did dominate Sinner in Sinner's favourite environment."

Alcaraz 'growing up' - but lighter side remains

Alcaraz was sprayed with champagne by his team after winning the US Open

It is difficult not to be drawn in by Alcaraz when he plays.

He can naturally produce the sort of shots players spend hours practising. In the final against Sinner, he hit an astonishing sliced smash that curved on to the tramlines, completely wrong-footing the Italian.

He has been criticised in the past for choosing the glamour shot over the sensible option. But at Flushing Meadows, he was able to tie together both facets of his game to keep his opponents on their toes.

"I think he's growing up. It's the way of life," Ferrero said.

"We are very clear what he has to improve on and off the court, and I think he's more mature to believe that he can improve."

His playing style is what makes him so engaging, as well as his openness and friendliness on and off court.

He often spends time signing autographs at the end of practice sessions, and was also happy to make light of a fairly brutal haircut his brother accidentally gave him during the first week of the Slam.

Appearing with a shaved head, Alcaraz said his brother had a mishap with the shears when giving him a trim, leaving him no choice but to opt for a buzz-cut.

And then there are the celebrations.

Alcaraz celebrated each of his victories at the US Open by mimicking a golf swing in reference to how he has been spending his downtime in New York - playing alongside compatriot and 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia.

After his quarter-final, Alcaraz said he was "here to entertain the people, myself and the team".

He has certainly done that - with the added bonus of leaving the city as the champion.