Jannik Sinner: ‘The work never stops’ | ATP Tour

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Jannik Sinner: ‘The work never stops’

The Italian reflects on his victory at Flushing Meadows

September 09, 2024

Jannik Sinner on Sunday became the first player since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season. But this year’s Australian Open and US Open champion has no intention of slowing down.

The number 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is determined to keep pushing forward.

“Certainly winning the first Grand Slam of the year gives you confidence, it gives you good feelings. But otherwise, you have to keep working. It never ends,” said Sinner. “It’s like you keep going on and on. So far I haven’t had much time to relax and say, ‘Okay, you’ve done a good job’.

“It’s also a big thank you to my team, because we always try new work, new things, creatively. How can you play better against certain opponents? How do you work on such images? Whether you feel better or not, I stayed in the gym for a long time, because I knew physically that I still had to improve and I still had to improve a lot.”

A lot of hard work went into Sinner’s rise in 2024. Before he lifted two big trophies, he spent hours in the gym and on the practice field refining his game.

“All this is part of the sacrifices you make to have a future. So we will continue to work,” said Sinner. “In my mind I know I’m not perfect and I won’t be perfect, but we’re always trying to improve my game. Then I can say, ‘Okay, I did everything possible to be 100 percent’.

23-year-old Sinner and 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz won this year’s major tournament and are now a combined 6-0 in Slam finals. It is the first season since 2002 that a member of the ‘Big Three’ – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – has not won a Grand Slam event. Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal played only seven events this year.

“It’s something new, but it’s also fun to see. It’s great to see new champions. It’s good to see new competitors. I always have players and I will always have players who will make me a better player, because there will be times when they beat me. After that you have to try to find a way to win against certain players,” said Sinner. “Today we saw that not all things go wrong. I could serve better, but this makes me realize that the work is never ending.

“It’s always a work in progress, which, in the end, if you want to be a better player every time you have to work, and you have to have these daily methods, accept the difficult times on the court.”

This win at Flushing Meadows is also different for Sinner compared to his win at Melbourne Park. Going into the first Slam of the season, Sinner has made one major semifinal. In New York, he was the top seed and World No.

“I believe you can’t really compare them, because the conditions are different, different times of the year,” said Sinner. “I believe that in Melbourne it was a kind of relief, because in my mind, it was like I was working for it, and you never know if you can win one Grand Slam or not. But when you win one, you know you can do your best.”

In an emotional moment of the day, Sinner dedicated his title to his aunt, who the Italian said was struggling with her life.

“My aunt, she is a very important person, because at the time my parents worked every day and all day, so sometimes when I had to go skiing, I went with her,” said Sinner. He helped me every summer when my parents worked and I had some days off or free days. When you’re young, you don’t go to the gym every day. So I lived with him a lot, and he is the most important person in my life.”

Sinner lost just two sets in the tournament and over the course of two nights he showed why he is the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and is in good shape to earn the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented courtesy of PIF.

“I feel like I’ve grown game by game and that my confidence level has increased over time,” Sinner said. “It was different because I probably had more pressure this time than in Australia. I’m happy with how I handled this one. I’m just happy to have this trophy with me.”