Miami Open title “means a lot” but Sinner already focused on upcoming clay season
Jannik Sinner is not dwelling on his second Masters 1000 title in Miami on Sunday, with the Italian already looking ahead to the upcoming clay season
Credit: Julien Nouet
Jannik Sinner barely had time to cool off after defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 in the Miami Open final, before he began looking ahead to the next big thing in his increasingly impressive career.
The newly crowned world No 2 described winning the title in Miami as “an amazing feeling”, “a special day” and something that “means a lot” to him. And yet, in the same breath, revealed that he doesn’t dwell on victories like this for long.
“When you win, you realise that it’s really special, like this, yes, but it’s a moment,” explained Sinner. “There is not so much time to enjoy this.
“You know, after Australia, I live these moments, three or four days, and then after, I get back to work. It was the same in Rotterdam and it’s the same here, because you don’t have to time to, yeah, to enjoy, you know. So this is also how I am, because maybe there are players who enjoy a little bit for longer.”
The reason Sinner refuses to linger on his second Masters 1000 crown in the past year is because his mind has already switched to the upcoming clay season which gets underway for him next week.
Sinner’s focus already on clay
Across his career, the Italian sits at a 67.2 percent win rate on clay, well below his 76.3 percent on hard courts. Of his 13 career titles, just the one has come on clay to date. In 2023, Sinner went titleless on the European clay, with his best result being a semi-final charge in Monte-Carlo.
This year, however, with a record of 22-1 across his opening 23 matches, it would be a surprise if that remained the case.
“Now the clay season is coming, so usually I struggle there. So let’s see what I can do this year,” began Sinner, before elaborating on the quick turnaround time between surfaces. “You don’t have so much time to adapt, because Monaco, I guess we start to practice Thursday for the first time. So not even one week to get used to the clay.”
“I know that I don’t have so much time to prepare for Monaco, so this is now obviously the next goal, trying to get confident with the clay,” said Sinner in his post-match press conference in Miami.
“For sure, the main goal is Roland Garros, yes, but trying to work slowly into this tournament and trying to play it in the best possible way. Before I have Rome, for me, especially is a really, really important tournament. You know, playing with the home crowd, it’s always amazing.”
Physical development gives Sinner greater confidence
Despite Sinner’s past record on clay, the Italian is quietly confident heading into the change of surface, largely thanks to an improved physique.
“I’m very relaxed,” he explained. “Look, I have the feeling that I have learned many things from last year what I can do better. Physically I’m in a different shape than I was last year, which the clay is a lot physical. Then we’ll see how it goes.”
With clay being the most physically demanding of the surfaces in tennis, Sinner believes that all of the work he’s put in at the gym now gives him a level of endurance he previously hasn’t had.
“I think the biggest change I have had is physical,” continued the 22-year-old. “We worked a lot physical in the gym, and this helps you also on the court when, in your mind, you know that you can play for hours and hours and then you can maintain a certain level.”
Sinner gives a lot of credit for this development to his coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi.
“I think Darren and Simone are doing an amazing job with me,” said Sinner. “They understand what we have to improve. The combination of Simone and Darren is just really, really good.”
