After losing to Sinner in the round of 16 at the 2025 US Open, Aleksandr Bublik’s comment about the world number one being "an AI-created player" seemed less like a joke and more like an astute observation. Sinner possesses the remarkable ability to analyze and anticipate his opponents' moves in real-time. This analytical and execution prowess was confirmed by Sinner himself in an interview with ESPN, where he shared his method for "decoding" opponents' serves.

Sinner returns a serve during his US Open semifinal victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime on 5/9. Photo: AP

Sinner returns a serve during his US Open semifinal victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime on 5/9. Photo: AP

The power of prediction

According to the Italian, by simply observing his opponent's shoulder position and ball toss during the serve preparation, he can instantly calculate the ball's landing point. This allows him to position himself offensively for the return. This highlights Sinner's impressive cognitive and physical abilities, especially considering the extremely short timeframe involved.

From the moment the ball is tossed to when it's struck, mere moments pass. In this brief window, Sinner focuses on the incoming ball while simultaneously observing his opponent's shoulder and toss, processing all this information to prepare his return.

While some players can read serves through the toss or shoulder movement, few achieve Sinner's level of mastery. Journalist Luigi Ansaloni, author of "Federer. 20 Grand Slams. The story of a fairytale year. And an ‘untouchable’ record", states, "Sinner's unique tennis skills aren't just about his style or shots, though they are exceptional, but also other details reflecting various types of intelligence particularly developed in the world number one.".

Applying Gardner's theory

This brings us to Howard Gardner, the American psychologist and scholar renowned for his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner proposes that humans possess at least 9 types of intelligence, encompassing the ability to process information and use it to create valuable products within a specific culture or context. These abilities, according to Gardner, are linked to specialized brain regions and neural pathways. The combination of these abilities constitutes human intelligence, which can be categorized into various aspects.

Sinner returning a serve during his US Open third-round victory over Denis Shapovalov on 30/8. Photo: AP

Sinner returning a serve during his US Open third-round victory over Denis Shapovalov on 30/8. Photo: AP

Ansaloni adds, "Sinner possesses exceptional kinesthetic intelligence, not only in his body usage, coordination, and balance but also in his ability to read and decode his opponent's movements. His ability to anticipate and hit the ball a split-second before his opponent is the result of innate talent, honed over time through practice and perseverance.".

The role of Coach Ceccarelli

Regarding decoding serves, legend Andre Agassi recounted in his autobiography, "Open," how he could predict Boris Becker's serve placement by observing the German's tongue position, as if it were a "sighting point".

"Jannik's ability is undoubtedly a special gift, an innate skill, especially at that level," comments Stefano Pescosolido, former world number 42 and Sky commentator. "Professional players can often read an opponent's serve through the toss and shoulder movement, but doing it at Jannik's speed is entirely different. He almost always knows where the ball is going, resulting in excellent returns. Jannik also adapts when facing difficulties, as seen in his matches against Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime.".

Pescosolido believes Sinner's collaboration with Riccardo Ceccarelli, a mental coach who has worked with Formula 1 champions, has been highly beneficial. "He's accustomed to dealing with every moment, every fraction of a second," Pescosolido explains. "Therefore, it's possible Ceccarelli is helping Sinner further improve this aspect, where the time between serve and return is instantaneous.".

Hoang Thong (via Gazzetta dello Sport)