Follow us on Google Discover Jannik Sinner is very much a man on a mission, and he’s now won two tournaments since losing the US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz back in September.
Sinner overcame Learner Tien to win the China Open earlier this month, and now he’s back in the winner’s circle after beating Alexander Zverev in the final of the Vienna Open.
Sinner praised Zverev after yesterday’s win in Vienna and it would appear that he’s gearing up nicely for the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals.
Sinner has been criticised for not playing in the Davis Cup finals, with the Italian choosing to rest after the ATP Finals ahead of the Australian Open.
Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty ImagesJannik Sinner showcases new ways to win tennis matches against Zverev
After his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, Sinner had to do some soul-searching, with the Spaniard blowing him away to leave him with way more questions than answers.
Alcaraz mixed things up and served brilliantly in that final as he claimed a sixth Grand Slam crown at Flushing Meadows to cap a fine year in the majors.
Tim Henman raved about Alcaraz in that final back in September and the emphatic nature of the victory meant that it was back to the drawing board for the Italian player who lost his number one spot.
Sinner’s work with his team since that final was evident against Zverev yesterday, with the drop shot being utilised a lot more frequently than it has been during the rest of the year.
One former ATP player believes that the things he’s worked on could now give him the very best chance of winning more of the closer matches against Alcaraz in the future.
What Jan-Michael Gambill has said about Jannik Sinner
Gambill won three titles during his career, reaching a career high of number 14 in the world rankings.
He was watching yesterday’s final for the Tennis Channel, and he was somewhat surprised by just how many times Sinner used the drop shot, not only in the final but spread across the whole tournament.
He said live on air: “He is just so tough on a faster court. This court was a little bit slower than Basel was playing. Obviously, he can hit through this little bit slower court.
“His serve was great. He said it was a bit of a rollercoaster third set. I’m not sure it was as much of a rollercoaster as he thought. He did not face a break point in the third set. It was lights-out tennis on his own serve there.
“What I liked about what he tried in this tournament was a lot more drop shots in his matches. He was throwing some variety across the net. I think he is thinking of things that he might utilise against Alcaraz down the road, in some of those matches where it’s so close, trying something different might help him down the road.”
Given that Sinner now appears to have a very useful drop shot in his arsenal of tricks, it will be fascinating to see how it stands up to Alcaraz, who is also a master of such a shot.
Whether the two get to meet again in Paris remains to be seen, but it’s fair to say both players will be in the mix for the title, with neither emerging victorious from this event previously.