Jannik Sinner returns to competition at the China Open tennis tournament

The world No. 2 player is prepared to make his comeback at the China Open in Beijing.

Two weeks after the US Open final, Jannik Sinner is set to return to play at the China Open in Beijing. The Italian player has relinquished the world No. 1 ranking to Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated him in New York, ending his 65-week reign at the top. This means he will now be the chaser rather than the one being chased.

In 2024, Sinner lost to Alcaraz in the China Open final, but this time there will be no rematch, as the Spanish player has chosen not to defend his title and will instead compete in the tournament in Tokyo, Japan.

Nevertheless, both are still considered top contenders in the tournaments they participate in. While Alcaraz just arrived in Japan after a long flight from San Francisco, where he represented Team Europe at the Laver Cup, Sinner landed in China a few days earlier and quickly began training.

The China leg of the tour also marks a new turning point in Sinner’s career. He has added physical therapist Alejandro Resnicoff, an Argentine with over 15–20 years of experience working with the ATP. Fans know Resnicoff from when Jakub Mensik publicly thanked him after winning the Miami Open.

This is not Resnicoff’s first time working with Sinner. Over the past year, he has frequently assisted the Italian player at Grand Slam events: the 2024 US Open semifinal against Jack Draper, the Australian Open match versus Holger Rune, and notably at Wimbledon when Sinner suffered an elbow injury after a heavy fall during his round of 16 match against Grigor Dimitrov. Sinner won all three of these tournaments.

After fitness coach Umberto Ferrara—who was previously dismissed along with conditioning specialist Giacomo Naldi due to a Clostebol-related incident—returned, Sinner decided to “complete” his coaching team restructuring by signing a long-term contract with Resnicoff.

Previously, this position had been vacant after Sinner parted ways with Ulises Badio and coach Marco Panichi just before Wimbledon. For a short period, therapist Andrea Cipolla temporarily filled the role, but Sinner sought a more permanent solution.

Besides staff changes, attention has also focused on Sinner’s serve. Since his three-month suspension, he has struggled to regain power and consistency. At the Roland Garros final, his serve was unstable, although it showed some improvement at Wimbledon.

However, the recent US Open final served as a wake-up call: Sinner only achieved a 48% success rate on first serves, a key factor in his loss to Alcaraz. Coach Simone Vagnozzi expressed concern, noting that Sinner often tosses the ball too far forward, leaving insufficient time for the motion. Viral videos on social media also show Sinner and his team focusing on adjusting his posture and elbow position to restore the “weapon” that made him famous.