Tennis legend Jimmy Connors has admitted he was surprised by comments made by Carlos Alcaraz during his Wimbledon final defeat to Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz was beaten in four sets on Sunday, with Sinner reigning supreme with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.
The 22-year-old had started the contest well but faded and was seen angrily gesturing in the direction of his box as the match, and title, started to slip away.
Alcaraz was even overheard saying that Sinner was playing 'much better' than himself as his frustration started to boil over.
PA
|Tennis legend Jimmy Connors has admitted he was surprised by comments made by Carlos Alcaraz during his Wimbledon final defeat to Jannik Sinner
Connors, however, was left surprised by those remarks - with the American admitting that he'd never have made them himself.
“That is a tough thing to admit. I don’t know if I would ever have admitted that. No matter what you have to get in there, mix up your game a bit, or try and do something a bit different," he said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
After the contest, Alcaraz admitted that he struggled with his serve.
The five-time Grand Slam winner had a first serve percentage of just 53 during the clash and only won 51 per cent of his second service points.
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Sinner, contrastingly, was devastating.
And Connors has hailed the new Wimbledon champion for maintaining his composure, with his victory coming just weeks after he'd lost to the same opponent at the French Open.
“It’s interesting for me because everybody has put so much emphasis on the," he stated.
"This guy [Sinner] has a 140mph serve, and look at that, it’s so hard. That’s the biggest of all time.
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PA | Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he wishes he'd served better during his Wimbledon final defeat to Jannik Sinner on Sunday“But what wins you matches? That is what Sinner did yesterday. Returns. He returned the ball with authority and with purpose.
"Not just to get the ball in play and start the point off, as they stay in neutral. But he was looking to take advantage and to be aggressive.
"That is what you have to do in matches like that in the finals of Wimbledon or the US Open or Australia, if you are going to beat the best."
Sinner's camp have also earned praise from the tennis icon.
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Connors continued: “He has figured it out, or whoever is with him has figured it out, that you are holding very comfortably, so let’s put some pressure on the return or make them work hard.
"That pays dividends down the line.
"Maybe not right then, but at one set all and four all in the third, maybe so.
"It seems like he figured that out because he was very aggressive and not afraid to step in and take advantage of that second serve.”
REUTERS | Jannik Sinner was outstanding on Sunday as he beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets to win WimbledonSinner and Alcaraz won't have too long to reflect on Sunday's Wimbledon final.
Both players are set to play at the National Bank Open, with that competition due to run from July 26 until August 7.