Serena Williams' ex-coach pinpoints key changes Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner must make to go from 'ordinary to extraordinary'

Serena Williams' childhood coach Rick Macci recently opined about the key adjustments that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner should make in order to elevate their game from "ordinary to extraordinary." Both Alcaraz and Sinner had an exceptional 2024 season, with the Spaniard securing four titles and Sinner claiming eight.

This year, the World No. 1 and the World No. 3 divided the four Grand Slam titles among them, winning two each. Sinner triumphed at the Australian Open and the US Open while Alcaraz emerged victorious at the French Open and Wimbledon. Sinner also won the Davis Cup with Italy while Alcaraz secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Recently Rick Macci took to social media and stated that for Alcaraz and Sinner to get better than they already are, they need to work "smarter" and add "microscopic mental aggressive beliefs." He believes that these subtle changes will propel the World No. 1 and World No. 3 from "ordinary to extraordinary."

“For Alcaraz or Sinner to climb to another level it is not about really working harder which is mandatory it is working smarter and adding a few microscopic mental aggressive beliefs on BIG points that flip the script from ordinary to extraordinary. @janniksin @carlosalcaraz," Macci posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

In addition to their Grand Slam successes, Carlos Alcaraz won the Indian Wells Masters and the China Open. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner won the ABN AMRO Open, Miami Open, Terra Wortmann Open, Cincinnati Open, Shanghai Masters, and the ATP Finals.

---

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play their first match of the 2025 season at the Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner at the 2023 ATP Finals [Image Source: Getty Images]

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will begin their 2025 season at the Australian Open. Sinner will be defending his title at the 2025 Australian Open.

This year, he was seeded fourth in the tournament and defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, Sebastian Baez 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, and Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the first four rounds.

The Italian then went on to triumph over Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 and Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. In the final, Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to claim his first Grand Slam title. With this win, he also became the first Italian to win the Australian Open in the Open Era.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz also achieved his best result at the Australian Open in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals. He was seeded second in the tournament and defeated Richard Gasquet 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-2 in the first round and Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-7(3),6-3, 7-6(3) in the second round.

The former World No. 1 then went on to defeat Shang Juncheng 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 ret. and Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, before losing to Alexander Zverev 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(2), 4-6 in the quarterfinals.

If Carlos Alcaraz manages to secure the 2025 Australian Open title, he will achieve a Career Grand Slam, a feat which is accomplished by winning each of the four Grand Slam titles during a player's career. The Spaniard has already won the Wimbledon Championships in 2023 and 2024, the US Open in 2022, and the French Open this year.