Jannik Sinner - "I'm not here for making finals, I'm here to win tournaments"

tex123

Hall of Fame
Yes, he said it in 2018. And looks what Thiem's saying in 2021, scarcely any better... so defeatist.

I don't get it. What is he supposed to say? Maybe he's downplaying to get the pressure off him. After all, he's going against the greatest player on clay. Nadal does that from time to time labelling his opponent as the favourite.
What is he supposed to say? I'm going to beat you to pulp? And then have egg on his face the next day? Remember what Djokovic's coach said before FO final? He does not want to look like a fool.
 

tex123

Hall of Fame
Meh. Not getting on the bandwagon yet... good talk in light of the poor company he has for contemporaries, but results are where it's at.

I remember Zverev talked a big game too. He was the next golden boy here... seems many have conveniently forgotten their hype for the Zedrot.
Zv could still be the golden boy. All he has to do is solve his serve issues and dodgy forehand. His no 1 issue is second serve. He should be serving bombs for a player that tall.
 

GhostOfNKDM

Hall of Fame
Zv could still be the golden boy. All he has to do is solve his serve issues and dodgy forehand. His no 1 issue is second serve. He should be serving bombs for a player that tall.

Good on you for the faith in your guy. I'm not that optimistic.

He got a lot of support and encouragement even from the Big 3 (remember Laver cup?), but I've seen nothing to indicate he will be better skill wise.

That doesn't mean Zverev won't win tournaments or go deep in the big ones; I just don't see the focus, ability and frankly attitude that will make him improve consistently on all those weak areas you mentioned.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
I’ll bet you 10:1 you’re wrong.
Bet taken.
We hype every youngster.
Medvedev, Titspas, FAA, Zverev - were all super hyped.
And yet we are here, and none of them have any hope, unless the big 3 get crippled.
To become a great player and to win slams is not easy. Every talented player does NOT win slams.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
Meh. Not getting on the bandwagon yet... good talk in light of the poor company he has for contemporaries, but results are where it's at.

I remember Zverev talked a big game too. He was the next golden boy here... seems many have conveniently forgotten their hype for the Zedrot.
Excellent post. Exactly my point.
 
Sinner has some good firepower on both wings, but he has to learn how to win matches without needing to blast winners all the time.
He'll have trouble winning on a bad day.

On the NextGen, Zverev made the US open final and could've won even with that second serve. Without the Big 3 his level is already enough to win with the current state of the field.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
My go-to tennis expert tells me that Sinner's first serve is very weak, and that this limits his attainments unless he is the new Nadal.
 

zipplock

Hall of Fame
In February, Sinner became the youngest man since Novak Djokovic in 2006 to win two ATP titles and his appearance in the Miami final took him to a career-best ranking of 23 on Monday.

The 19-year-old was keen to focus on the positives after just missing out on his first Masters 1000 title to the Pole, who he occasionally partners in doubles.

"When you're 19 and playing finals, obviously it's tough, and I wanted to win." "I was a bit nervous from the beginning of the match or already yesterday, but it's normal because you really want to win. Today was not my day."

"It has been a good week anyway. But obviously I'm not here for making finals, I'm here to win tournaments. It's going to be back to work and then we will see what I can do on the clay."

"What I showed here (is) that I improved from the last tournament," he said. "Obviously when you get a little bit of confidence it's a little bit easier, but you have to work hard to go deep in tournaments, especially in big tournaments.

"For me, improvement is the most important thing. I still have to talk with my team why I lost, what they think, where we have to work, and then we will decide on which part of my game I have to improve. (It's) back to work and now the clay season is on. So I don't want to waste time today. I think I can learn many things. Next week already is another tournament."

Sinner is staying grounded and says his calm demeanor on and off the court was due to his parents. "They are working every day a simple job, they know what it means to work hard," said Sinner, whose father is a chef and his mother a waitress in the same restaurant. "They gave me this kind of mindset, always trying your best day after day and trying to not lose energy during your job."

Sinner also believes the next generation of players are still playing catch-up with the 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. "The next generation still has to show that they can beat the big three because obviously maybe they lose one or two matches, but the next generation that what I see is not ready yet to win against them consistently."
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Pretty positive outlook and no nonsense thought process from Sinner.
iu
Is it just me, or does he look old. He has the face of a 39 year old, not a 19 year old.
 

TimHenmanATG

Hall of Fame
People are reading too much into his comments, one way or another.

He's just parroting typical sports psychology b*llocks, which his entourage probably instilled in him.
 
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