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How Jannik Sinner can learn from Carlos Alcaraz as he plots his next step

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The rise of Jannik Sinner was a story built around many improving facets of his game, with the serve at the top of the list for his biggest improvements.

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Roll the clock back to early 2023 and Sinner’s service motion looks very different from what it is now.

The Italian was serving with his back foot flat on the ground prior to his motion starting, with his highly respected coach Darren Cahill and his lead coach Simone Vagnozzi, deciding that he needed to change if he wanted to take his serve to a Grand Slam-winning level.

That starting position changed as he moved to a stance that saw his back heel elevated, which gave him more height as he reached up to the ball and allowed him to raise his service percentage and also, significantly, his service speed.

He has also tweaked the starting position of his racket, with his starting position now in front of his knee, with Sinner’s service motion now looks more classical than he had a couple of years ago.

“One thing I did say is, ’The serve needs to improve. You’re six foot four and you’re a strong lad’,” Cahill told the ATP Tour last earlier this year.

“You need to be able to get more miles per hour on that first serve, better direction on that first serve. Then not only do you start winning some free points from your first serve, but also your Plus One becomes much more effective. If people can neutralise your serve, you have to work much harder for your points.’

“Then his questions came, one after the other… i’s typical of him. He wants to compete. He’s a competition animal. We’re seeing an incredible level of tennis at the moment, with Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik.

“If you look at their body of work over the past couple of years, they’ve separated themselves from the field. Now it’s up to the field to chase.”

Sinner appeared to be seperating himself from everyone in the men’s game, including Alcaraz, prior to this year’s US Open, but the shot that has helped to inspire his rise to world No 1 and Grand Slam glory started to show signs fo cracking in New York.

With his first serve percentage dropping, Sinner appeared to be searching for a shot that has come so naturally to him at the US Open and that allowed Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime to test him before he struggled again on his serve in the final against Alcaraz.

Giving his Spanish rival too many looks at second serves was a recipe for disaster and it was one of the key areas Sinner suggested he needed to improve as he reflected on the Alcaraz defeat in New York.

“I’m gonna change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but, they can make big differences and then we see how it goes,” said Sinner.

“You know, I’m looking forward to playing these matches again, something new is now that I’m not number one anymore, so you know, this also changes a little bit for you. You chase, it’s different.”

Alcaraz’s most improved shot over the last year is probably his second serve, with the power and punch he has found on it making it tougher than ever to break him.

Throw in his beefed-up first serve, which saw him regularly hitting 130mph serves out wide to Sinner in the US Open final and you have a package that is hard to halt.

Sinner now needs to find the tweaks to his serve that allow him to keep pace with an improving Alcaraz and the joy of this rivalry appears to be that these two great champions are going to continue to push themselves to the next level time and again over the next few years.

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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