Jannik Sinner’s 1-2 first punch backs up his outstanding season | ATP Tour

Understanding

Best in Class: Sinner is the best AND indicators of backhand shot quality

Usoni leads ‘Insights’ for four key Tennis Data Innovations

September 11, 2024

The sound is loud, but clear and accurate. Ballstriking features a masterful combination of finesse and ferocity – each shot is incredibly clean, yet carries a deadly force that overwhelms opponents.

Regardless of the wing, Jannik Sinner is ruling the ATP Tour this season from the back of the court. The longer the rallies go on, the more they press the ball, without compromising consistency.

The Italian’s groundstrokes, as intimidating as they are flawless, put him in the rare position of holding first place in both forehand shot quality (8.8) and backhand shot quality (8.48), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. It makes sense why Sinner is the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, amassing 9,000 points, 2,885 more than runner-up Alexander Zverev.

A hero @uvule 🎾👑@janniksin dominates the race to Turin leaderboard with 9⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣🔥 points

Look at his brilliance #Ideas 2024 season numbers so far👇#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/S0R5xGHhIB

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 9, 2024

World No. 1, who also leads in return quality (8.04), smashes his forehand at an average speed of 78 mph this season, five mph faster than the tour average. It’s the same story with his two-handed backhand, which the 23-year-old averages at 73 mph, compared to the Tour-average 66 mph.

Sinner makes it even more difficult by punching both groundstrokes with a flat trajectory. Compared to the rest of the court, Sinner’s forehand registers two inches lower than the net and his backhand five inches lower.

Given his dominance of the base, it’s no surprise that Sinner tops another important category: Conversion. When he’s in a point attack position, the two-time major champion wins a tour-best 73% of points.

But Sinner, who also leads in the Return shot quality index, is one of the players who does the best when he is caught playing defense. When the US Open champion is pushed deep beyond the baseline, perhaps forced to hit an open backhand, Sinner is very much on point. In fact, he might be graced by clawing his way back into the forecourt and hitting the winner. Sinner is 10th in the steal metric, winning 37.5 percent of his points when he finds himself playing defense at some point.

Sinner coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi have seen their game evolve firsthand, and Insights from Tennis Data Innovations are testament to the team’s hard work.

“I think Simone has done an amazing job over the last few years, righting the wrongs [Jannik’s] game, both the transition from the defense… and getting the energy from the corners,” Cahill told ESPN after Sinner’s win at Flushing Meadows.

“But also going back and taking a point and transitioning to offense again. Simone has been an amazing coach. He has done a good job in the last two and a half, three years. And it’s been an absolute honor to work with him and see how he’s been able to change Jannik’s game.”

Jannik Sinner in 2024:
Front speed = 78 mph (Tour Avg. = 73 mph)
Back Speed = 73 mph (Tour Avg. = 66 mph)
Forehand Spin = 3,049 rpm (Tour Avg. = 2,708 rpm)
Backhand Spin = 2,235 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,977 rpm)