By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Double Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner set his sights on mastering clay and grass courts to make himself a complete player after the Italian claimed his third hardcourt Grand Slam title on Sunday.
The world number one retained his Melbourne Park crown with an emphatic 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 victory over Alexander Zverev in Rod Laver Arena, four months after his U.S. Open triumph, to further underpin his status as the hottest player on the surface.
Sinner has reached the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in the last two seasons but the 23-year-old said he hoped to assert his authority on clay and grass this year.
“You have to be a complete player, not only on one surface but on also the other two,” Sinner told reporters.
“I believe last year wasn’t a bad season at all on clay and on grass. I can do better, yes, but let’s see. I mean, these are questions that I can answer by playing.”
Sinner, who has won 37 of his last 38 matches on hardcourts, said he would dedicate his time and energy to going far in the other Grand Slams.
“I’m still young and I have time to adjust, especially on grasscourts, because I’ve never played the juniors. It was new when I arrived on the tour,” Sinner added.
“It’s exactly that what I like; the difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully I can show that when the season arrives.”
Sinner’s latest triumph showed his ability to stay fully focused despite a doping case stemming from two failed drug tests in March last year that is hanging over his head.
Cleared to continue playing by tennis anti-doping bodies, the Italian could face a ban of up to two years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and a hearing is set to start on April 16.
“I’m very proud,” Sinner said about his ability to shut out the noise and let his tennis do the talking.
“It’s tough to describe. Many things happen off the court, what you maybe don’t know. When I go on court, even if sometimes it’s very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.
“That for me is even more important because I can talk with them very openly. When I go on to the court, I try and focus on the match. I know the match can be three, four, five hours, but that’s the gap of the day where I have to be very focused.
“In the gym, trying to keep your routine, then you think a bit less about what’s happening. Of course, it’s still a little bit in the back of your mind. I know that I’m in this position now. So (there’s) nothing I can change.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; editing by Clare Fallon)
Comments