Jannik Sinner has been advised to think twice before turning to Juan Carlos Ferrero, with speculation continuing that Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach could be added to the Italian’s camp in 2027.

The view comes from Rick Macci, Serena Williams’ former coach, who believes any such move would end up sharpening Alcaraz’s edge rather than weakening it.

Ferrero and Alcaraz ended their long partnership last December after seven years that produced six Grand Slam titles and multiple weeks at No 1. Since then, Samuel Lopez has taken the lead role in Alcaraz’s team and quickly guided him to the Australian Open, completing the career Grand Slam.

Now back in action at the US Open after four months away with a wrist injury, the 23-year-old is still building toward full fitness, while attention has shifted to Ferrero’s next step. The former French Open champion has already said he expects to return to the circuit, though he stopped short of identifying the player involved.

Speaking to Movistar+, he said, “ This year I’m very calm, enjoying my family and preparing for what’s coming next year. I think I’m going to return to the tennis circuit, but I can’t say with whom.”

Ferrero has previously said he would be open to coaching world No 1 Sinner one day, although a possible Rafael Jodar arrangement has also been mentioned.

Macci, who also coached Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, and Andy Roddick, took the opposite view. In his eyes, a Ferrero-Sinner partnership would give Alcaraz extra fuel and push him to “dig even deeper”.

If Ferrero end up coaching /helping Sinner, my take is the exact opposite. This would help Carlos the most if they played. Now he mentally digs even deeper (if possible) and beats both of them now and then. Adversity makes greatness stronger. Greatness finds another gear ear to ear.…

Sinner is currently guided by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. Cahill had initially planned to leave at the end of 2025 before being persuaded to stay, but his long-term future remains unclear. If he does step away, Ferrero could emerge as a realistic option.

An intriguing few months lie ahead.

Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open return brought him to the quarterfinals, but the mood around his exit has not been as straightforward as his own words suggested. In his first event back after an injury lay-off, the Spaniard chose to test the wrist injury he picked up in April in a best-of-five-set Grand Slam, a demanding setting for any comeback.

Alcaraz said he was surprised by how he played in New York and insisted he could walk off with a positive feeling after falling in a fifth-set tie-break to Ben Shelton in a close last-eight match. “I leave the court happy,” Alcaraz said. “I leave the court with a smile. I am proud of myself, how I fought.”

That explanation did not convince Patrick Mouratoglou. The former coach of Serena Williams and Holger Rune argued that Alcaraz was not being fully candid about his emotions after the defeat. “Carlos Alcaraz spent four and a half hours on court, lost 10-7 in the fifth-set tie-break, and walked off saying he was happy. I’m not buying it,” declared Mouratoglou in a LinkedIn post.

Mouratoglou said champions do not accept losing lightly and suggested that honesty after defeat can be difficult to judge. He pointed to Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Novak and Sabalenka while making his wider case, but also stressed that the bigger issue for elite players is the long-term process. In his view, too much focus on winning in the moment can distort decision-making, even if the player is already at the top level.

He then turned back to Alcaraz, arguing that the Spaniard may have arrived in New York without full belief that he could win the title. Mouratoglou said Alcaraz was not physically ready, adding that the struggle against Shelton was visible. He concluded that a player of Alcaraz’s standard should still be thinking in terms of victory, even when not fully fit.

Alcaraz now moves on to the Laver Cup in London next week as he tries to finish a difficult 2026 on a stronger note.

Alexander Zverev’s 2026 season has taken a striking turn, and the German may now be positioned to chase one of the sport’s most valuable prizes in the months ahead.

After winning the US Open in New York with a commanding victory over Ben Shelton, Zverev added a second major trophy to his cabinet. That triumph followed his French Open title in June, which ended a long wait for Grand Slam success and changed the shape of his season completely.

For much of his career, Zverev was viewed as a player who came close without quite finishing the job. In 2026, that picture has shifted. His results have strengthened the case that he belongs in the game’s new elite, and he now has a genuine opening to finish the year as world No 1.

Jannik Sinner currently leads the rankings, but the coming weeks are likely to be decisive. Under the ATP’s 52-week system, Sinner must defend 3,500 points from the final stretch of 2025, including titles in Beijing, Vienna, the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. One of those wins came against Zverev in the Vienna final last October.

Zverev, by contrast, has only 1,080 points to protect. That leaves him 1,810 points behind Sinner, but still with a realistic path to overtake him if the margin tightens.

Carlos Alcaraz is too far back to join the race after missing a significant portion of 2025 because of a wrist injury. That leaves Zverev with a clear opportunity to challenge for the top ranking for the first time in his career.

The year-end No 1 comes with a trophy to be handed over at the ATP Finals in Turin in November, a scenario that would add extra weight if Zverev were to claim it in front of Sinner’s home supporters.

Even so, Zverev was careful not to overstate his standing after the US Open. “You have to take everything into consideration,” said Zverev after his US Open win. “With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, probably yes. Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game, maybe not.

“But if we say right, right now, with Jannik being injured and Carlos coming back from injury, maybe. I mean, four, five months ago when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t.

“I was losing to Jannik all the time. So if everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that.”