The stoppage that could have flipped the 2025 ATP Finals
On November 16, 2025, the Inalpi Arena in Turin was vibrating. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had split the court into razor-thin margins, and every rally felt like a final exam in timing and nerve. Then the match stalled. A medical emergency in the stands paused play for roughly 12 minutes early in the opening set, as detailed in the Tennis.com match report on the delay. When play resumed, Sinner held for 2-2 and continued to steady the ship on a night he would win 7-6, 7-5.
That pause was not just dead air. It was a test of in-match composure, and Sinner passed by running a clear mental script: freeze the noise, breathe on purpose, break the next pattern. Late in the set, he even saved a set point with an audacious 117 mph second serve, a choice noted in the ATP report on the 117 mph second serve.
If you coach juniors, guide a competitive high-schooler, or play league tennis during the winter indoor season, this is the moment worth studying. Pauses are inevitable. A spectator needs help, the ceiling drips, a scoreboard dies, a ball kid slips, a rival calls a medical timeout, or the crowd turns into a drumline. The question is not whether a delay will arrive. The question is whether your mind will.
Why long in-match delays scramble even great players
Tennis primes the sympathetic nervous system. Heart rate rises, breathing shortens, pupils dilate, and the brain shifts toward threat detection. That response is helpful for sprints and fight or flight, but it is unfriendly to the fine motor control and split-attention tasks that precise strokes demand. A long pause creates a second problem: cognitive drift. Without a clear plan, attention migrates to score math, what-ifs, and crowd energy. When play resumes, athletes often leak points while finding the feel again.
Sinner avoided both traps in Turin. First, he did not let the pause balloon into a story about momentum. Second, he used a between-point routine that reboots attention quickly. The mechanics are teachable to juniors, college players, and adult competitors.
Sinner’s three-part reset: Freeze, Breathe, Break
Think of this as a funnel that narrows focus and then converts it into a first-shot plan. It fits within the twenty-five seconds you are allowed, and it still works after a five or ten minute pause.
1) Freeze
Freeze does not mean tense. It means go still to control inputs. Sinner stepped back, towel routine, strings check, eyes down. Stillness stops the spiral. He did not feed the crowd or the moment. He literally reduced motion to reduce noise. Try it: when a match pauses, you are tempted to chat, scan the seats, or replay past points. Do the opposite. Stand, breathe, and fiddle only with the controllables: grip, lace, strings. Stillness says to the nervous system, nothing here is urgent.
Cues to borrow:
- Eyes on the strings for three seconds. Count the crosses.
- Touch your grip and say quietly, "loose wrist."
- Place both feet parallel, then reset your bounce rhythm with the ball. Keep the body quiet otherwise.
2) Breathe
Sinner’s body language after interruptions is consistent: shoulders drop, jaw unclenches, exhale lengthens. There is a reason. A longer exhale taps the vagus nerve and reduces sympathetic tone. Indoors, where sound is trapped and adrenaline spikes, this is gold. For more on the physiology and simple progressions, see our guide on what breathwork actually improves in tennis.
Use one of these simple patterns:
- Box breath: inhale 4, hold 2, exhale 6, hold 2, two cycles.
- Double exhale: inhale through the nose, then two short exhales through the mouth, like letting air out of a balloon in two squeezes. Repeat twice.
Pair each breath with a word. On inhale, "smooth." On exhale, "through." When the mind grabs a word, it cannot chase the crowd.
3) Break
Break means break the pattern on the very next point. After long pauses, most players float a safe ball. Plan the opposite. Pick a simple, assertive micro-plan that shrinks uncertainty:
- On serve: body serve into the hip, plus a first step toward the plus-one forehand.
- On return: pick backhand corner, early contact, deep middle, no aim at the line.
- In rally: the first neutral ball goes to the opponent’s weaker wing, then one change of direction only.
Sinner’s version of Break showed up again at the end of the set. He saved a set point with that bold 117 mph second serve, then played two first-strike points to escape the game and roll into the tiebreak. We unpack that green-light decision in Sinner’s 117 mph second serve blueprint.
The between-point script that travels
You can package Freeze, Breathe, Break into a seven-step between-point routine your players can rehearse any day of the week:
- Release: physically turn away from the last point. One shoulder roll, one exhale.
- Reset: walk to a mark, usually the baseline stripe or back fence, and do the same string check every time.
- Breathe: run one cycle of your chosen pattern. If you feel shaky, do two.
- Reframe: one cue, spoken quietly. Examples: "Heavy to backhand" or "First serve through the T."
- Rehearse: a two-second shadow swing with the exact shape you want.
- Ready: bounce rhythm, eyes on strings, then on the toss or on the server’s contact.
- Respond: commit to the first two shots, not the eventual winner.
This script is physical and short. It keeps you out of score rumination, and it gives the body a job when the mind wants to wander.
The attention funnel: wide to narrow
After a delay, it is easy to stare at the wrong thing, like the scoreboard or a waving flag. Sinner’s focus tightened as points grew important. You can teach the same funnel:
- Wide: as you walk to the line, feel both feet on the court and notice one sound, like the air unit above the court. This reconnects you to the environment without chasing the crowd.
- Middle: eyes on your strings or the top of the net tape for one breath.
- Narrow: eyes to the ball, then a soft gaze through contact, then to your target window, such as two feet inside the sideline.
The funnel is trainable, and it pairs well with breath. What changes after a long stoppage is the length of the first two stages. Give yourself one extra breath at Wide and Middle before you narrow. The emphasis is still the same: do not rush the first ball back in play.
Three simple drills for club players and juniors
These are indoor-season friendly, court-time efficient, and designed for noise, timeouts, and momentum swings.
Drill 1: The 12-12 Disruption Set
Purpose: simulate the Turin pause and the first game back.
- Format: first to four games. At 2-2, the coach stops play for exactly 12 minutes. Players must stay on court. No phones. No extra hitting.
- Player script during pause: two cycles of box breathing, string check, cue word chosen for the next point, plus visualization of the first serve or return pattern.
- First two points after resume: server must hit one body serve and one wide serve, returner must hit two returns deep middle. Keep score. The aim is not to win the game at once, it is to execute the reentry plan.
- Coaching cue: track whether the first two contacts after the pause are center-contact and full follow-through. Note racquet head speed, not outcome.
Progression: make the stop 8 minutes, then 4 minutes. The goal is to shrink the time you need to feel ready.
Drill 2: Crowd Noise Reentry
Purpose: add sound stress that mimics indoor arenas.
- Tools: a small speaker with recorded crowd noise, applause, and announcements.
- Format: start each game at 30-30. Coach plays loud noise for 45 seconds, then points begin immediately. Each player must do a two-step Freeze and Breathe before serving or returning.
- Scoring: bonus point awarded if the first serve lands in or if the first return lands past the service line. This rewards commitment to the first contact.
- Coaching cue: remind players to lengthen the exhale as the noise peaks. If they miss the first ball, they must call the next cue word aloud before the following point.
Progression: change the noise type. Try a sudden whistle, then silence. Both are stressful in different ways.
Drill 3: Momentum Swing Ladder
Purpose: rehearse the emotional whiplash of a medical timeout or a cluster of errors.
- Format: best of three short sets to four games. In Set 1, player A starts each return game down 0-30. In Set 2, player B starts return games down 0-30. In a deciding set, both players start 15-30 on every game.
- Requirement: before each point at a disadvantage, the player must speak one tactical cue, like "heavy crosscourt," and do one two-second shadow swing.
- Scoring: if the disadvantaged player reaches deuce, the next point must be played with a planned pattern, such as serve to body plus one to backhand.
- Coaching cue: measure the time between the chair’s score call and the start of the service motion. The routine should be consistent within two seconds.
Progression: add a five minute pause before the last game. Players must write down their pattern on a notepad, then execute it when play resumes.
Indoor-season specifics that matter
- Sound: indoor acoustics amplify claps and coughs. Plan your breath to be louder in your head than the room. Exhale through contact on the first two balls after any pause to create your own rhythm.
- Light and contrast: gym lighting can produce glare. Funneling attention from strings to net tape to ball keeps your eyes from bouncing around the white walls.
- Temperature: cool air tightens forearms. During any break, shake the wrist and forearm gently. When play resumes, prioritize a high-clearance first ball to buy feel time.
- Bounce: many indoor courts skid. The Break step should reflect that. Aim deep middle on first returns to neutralize skid and avoid flirting with lines too soon.
For a deeper look at how Sinner sustains his surge indoors, read the 29 match indoor streak breakdown.
Coach’s checklist from Turin
- Pre-plan two reentry patterns for serve and return. Laminate them on a small card in the bag.
- Standardize the between-point script. Write it on the towel. The towel is not just for sweat. It is a reset station.
- Tie breath to specific physical cues. Example: inhale when you touch the strings, exhale when you place your left foot on the line.
- Evaluate the first contact after every stoppage in practice. Was the swing full and through, or did the player poke?
- Keep a delay log in the team notebook. Note what happened, what the player did, and the first two point outcomes.
What Sinner showed, and what you can copy
Sinner did not win Turin because he never felt nerves. He won because his system held under stress. After the long pause in the first set, he held for 2-2, then later erased a set point with a bold second serve that matched his identity and the data. He accepted indoor noise as part of the environment instead of treating it like an enemy. He funneled attention from the arena to the ball. He chose a clear pattern immediately after interruptions and lived with the result. Those are choices any competitor can train.
Build your routine with OffCourt
Off-court training is the most underused lever in tennis. OffCourt unlocks it with personalized physical and mental programs built from how you actually play. Use OffCourt to turn this article into sessions:
- Add Freeze, Breathe, Break to your pre-match checklist inside your plan.
- Schedule a weekly Disruption Set with 8 to 12 minute pauses and track heart rate recovery in your notes.
- Store two reentry patterns per surface type. Tag them by opponent style, such as big server or counterpuncher.
Your next seven days
- Day 1: learn the between-point script. Walk through it without a ball for 10 minutes. Then play four games focusing only on the first two contacts.
- Day 2: Drill 1, 12-12 Disruption Set. Coach times the pause. Write down your reentry pattern during the break.
- Day 3: serve plus one patterns. Every point begins with a body serve or serve to the T, then a forehand to deep middle. Breathe with a long exhale before the toss.
- Day 4: Drill 2 with crowd noise. Track first serve percentage on the first two points after noise stops.
- Day 5: return patterns. Shadow the first step and racquet prep for five minutes, then play a tiebreak where every return targets deep middle.
- Day 6: Drill 3, Momentum Swing Ladder. Note how quickly you return to your routine after losing a deuce point.
- Day 7: match play. One intentional five minute pause mid-set. Use the script exactly as written. Debrief with a teammate or coach.
The takeaway
Turin did not reward whoever felt the best. It rewarded whoever managed feelings best. A 12 minute stoppage is long enough to lose your edge and your timing. Sinner kept his by doing simple things with precision. He froze the noise, he breathed with intent, and he broke the next pattern instead of chasing the last one. That is the model. Juniors, coaches, parents, and adult competitors can all install the same system, and they can install it this week.