Victorious Sinner still searching for improvement: “It’s small details that make the difference”

You might think that after a year in which he won his first two Grand Slam titles, hit world No 1 for the first time and then made history by becoming the first Italian man to win the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner might be content with his achievements.

Well, he is, but not totally. As he did when he won the Australian Open in January to kick-start his Grand Slam tally, in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Taylor Fritz in the final in Turin on Sunday, the 23-year-old looked at what he can do better.

“I actually believe there is still gap of improvement,” said the Italian, who won the title without losing a set, the first man to do so since Ivan Lendl in 1986. “I mean, today I served very, very good at times, which was not the case throughout the whole tournament.

“There are still certain shots and points what I can make sometimes better, but are small details. The higher you play level-wise, the more details make the difference.

“I’m not looking about being the first whatever. (I) always try to improve as a player and trying to understand what I can do better. This week was something where I always felt the ball very good. Even in practice sessions, it was very smooth-going. The connection with the crowd was very nice. Let’s see what’s coming next year. The future, nobody can predict.”

“Whatever we catch, we take, and the rest we learn”

Sinner said he did not come into 2024 with any particular goals.

“My goal was to understand what I can achieve this year,” he said. There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No 1 or whatever. It’s going to be the same next year: whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn. I think that was the mentality we approached this whole year, trying to raise my level in specific moments, which I’ve done throughout this year.

“I’m very happy about that because it’s a very nice way to finish off an incredible season. A lot of wins, a lot of titles. I’m talking (on) the tennis court. I’m very happy, that’s for sure.”

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