The Akame Net final match ball was auctioned for a staggering 700,000 yuan, Sinner: honing a secret weapon

Alcaraz has continuously set new records off the court as well, stirring up excitement once more at Sotheby’s recent auction. The ball he used to clinch his sixth Grand Slam championship was sold at a record price when the auction concluded at 4:18 PM on September 23.

This season, Alcaraz’s Grand Slam run has been remarkable, facing Italy’s Sinner for the third time in the New York Grand Slam final. Sinner entered the match as the defending champion, having impressed at Wimbledon, determined to defeat Alcaraz and claim the title again.

However, Alcaraz completely shattered Sinner’s plans, defeating him 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. On his third championship point, he delivered a spectacular serve that Sinner barely touched, sending the ball flying straight into the stands. The renowned luxury art auction house Sotheby’s later acquired this match-winning ball and listed it for auction on their official website.

Reports indicate that in the final hour of the auction, the ball’s price surged from $10,000 to $88,900, setting a new record for tennis ball auctions. This sale not only highlights the growing public interest in tennis memorabilia but is also expected to attract more similar investments in the future.

Previously, Alcaraz’s rookie card also set a record—earlier this year, it sold for $237,907 at auction.

At the latest Laver Cup, Fritz defeated both Alcaraz and Zverev consecutively, helping Team World secure the championship. Alcaraz posted a tour record of 61 wins and 6 losses this year and admitted feeling regretful for not securing a win for his team.

However, Alcaraz also acknowledged that lack of practice contributed to his defeat. In a post-match press conference, he said: “I think before a match, especially the first one, you have to train. You need to play sets, score points. Here, as I said, with 14 players between two teams but only one training court, I could barely practice for an hour each day, which is completely unusual for me.”

Currently, world number one Alcaraz has arrived in Tokyo to participate in the Japan Open, where his opening match opponent is Argentine player Baez.

Meanwhile, Sinner seems to be fulfilling his promise of becoming less predictable on the court. After losing to Alcaraz in the 2025 US Open final, the former world number one spoke about adjustments in his training regimen.

“We reflected a lot after that final,” Sinner said at this week’s China Open pre-tournament press conference. “We are trying new things, changing many small details, which is something I’m currently focusing on. The number of errors is indeed a bit high now, but I hope it will lead to very positive results later, you know?”

Sinner failed to defend his US Open title, falling short in the final and dropping to second place in the ATP rankings. After the match, he candidly expressed his desire to reduce predictability on court, saying, “I will try… I don’t even mind losing some matches in the process, but I want to make changes to become harder to read on the court because I feel that is something I must do to become a better tennis player.”

This frank statement comes from the 24-year-old Italian, who had a breakthrough season in 2024 and continues to perform exceptionally this year: winning two more Grand Slam titles—including his first Wimbledon crown by defeating Alcaraz—and reaching the finals of all four Grand Slams in 2025. He also maintained the world number one ranking for 65 consecutive weeks, despite a three-month suspension last year due to an anti-doping violation.

Nonetheless, Sinner still believes there is room for improvement, especially in his matches against Alcaraz, who has become his main rival and leads their head-to-head record 9-5.

“I’m working hard to better prepare myself for the next encounter with him,” Sinner said. “At the same time, I think it depends on how you approach the match against Carlos. For example, if your previous matches were easy and you keep doing the same things—like I did in this tournament, where I didn’t try serve-and-volley even once or use many drop shots—but when facing Carlos, you have to step out of your comfort zone.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)