Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
Less than a month to go until Jannik Sinner’s return to action and there is great curiosity to find out how he worked, mainly on his own body, during this “uncomfortable” break. Marco Panichi, athletic trainer of the number 1, gave an interesting interview to Corriere della Sera in which he focused on the more technical aspects of what they have done in recent weeks. Being able to subject Jannik’s body to a series of activities and exercises that are difficult to perform during a match is something unique, so the three months of break can become an interesting opportunity. This is where the interview with Djokovic’s former trainer (seven years with the Serbian), today in the Italian’s box, starts. We report the most significant passages of Panichi’s thought.
“From the day we learned about the stop, player, team and management had the same thought in unison: to make the most of this period” says Panichi. “We knew right away that we could do a good job, studied and planned, not diluted and broken up by travel and tournaments as usual. It’s not that we were happy about Jannik’s suspension, that’s clear, but we studied an active and proactive way to live it. We transformed the micro-cycles of work into macro-cycles, we went into particulars and details, we dedicated a lot of time to acquiring data on Jannik, applying training modules to put him in a position to make another important leap in quality. From Rome onwards, this work will have to bear fruit”.
Sinner has already put aside his anklets since last January, does he feel more confident in his body? “All true. The ankle braces limit the joint and the effort is distributed across the structure, resulting in overloading certain parts of the body. Eliminating the ankle braces was a long but important process for Jannik. With fundamental psychological implications. By doing in-depth specific work, day after day the player felt more and more confident. Without us putting any pressure on him, at a certain point he came to us: I'm ready, he told us. Since January, in Australia, when he stopped wearing them, he has never missed them. By continuing to pay the right attention to his fragilities, I would say that there is no going back”.
Gym and therefore weights, but not too many, here's why: "Tennis is a sport in which the specific strength to perform the technical gesture must be explosive. I don't demonize strength work, however, with Jannik's physique, the functional aspect is more important. We do three-dimensional work to develop the connection between segments that make his gesture as effective as possible. In tennis there are three areas that must be linked together in concert: physique, mind and technique".
Without tournaments, there is monotony in Sinner's day, and breaking it is important. Perhaps this is also why he said he went cycling with friends, tried karting and other things. Panichi confirms the importance of introducing new stimuli and breaking routines: “A lot, but not only in this particular period. Even travel and planes can generate a routine. The motivational aspect is crucial: we continually challenge Jannik with new stimuli, we push him to do new things, new to him. Even simple ones: a game of golf, a visit to a museum… Broadening the mental sphere allows you to show up for training fresher. However, it is equally true that a certain repetitiveness is useful for comparison, without running the risk of caging the player in something too monotonous. It is the variety in the work protocol that allows us to understand if we are doing well. (…) During the forced stop he is discovering new things, which stimulate him.
When we go to tournaments it is impossible to dedicate ourselves to anything other than training, matches and recovery. Furthermore, Jannik can no longer go around without being recognized and stopped. In these three months, moreover, he has taken some time off for himself: he has rediscovered himself. The detoxification is underway. I am very happy: on a mental level he is transformed. He will return to Rome with enormous motivation and an important freshness".
This is how Panichi describes Sinner's motor talent: "Coordination, stamina, neurovegetative aspect: Jannik has the physique of a decathlete, he knows how to do everything well. If he were stronger, he could not be so agile. If he is an almost perfect machine we have to thank Hanspeter and Siglinde Sinner, the parents who passed on his DNA to him. But, from my point of view, his most extraordinary talent is the management of situations, whether it is a training session or a very tense match: he has an operational calm, in the moments that count, that is rare. Mind and body are an integrated system: when one pulls it down, the other pushes it up. He knows how to use emotions as a source of energy: if you have an emotional overflow, you block; but he knows how to surf on emotions, always staying on the crest. The integrated system trains, of course. But you have to be born with the skills of Jannik Sinner”.
“From the day we learned about the stop, player, team and management had the same thought in unison: to make the most of this period” says Panichi. “We knew right away that we could do a good job, studied and planned, not diluted and broken up by travel and tournaments as usual. It’s not that we were happy about Jannik’s suspension, that’s clear, but we studied an active and proactive way to live it. We transformed the micro-cycles of work into macro-cycles, we went into particulars and details, we dedicated a lot of time to acquiring data on Jannik, applying training modules to put him in a position to make another important leap in quality. From Rome onwards, this work will have to bear fruit”.
Sinner has already put aside his anklets since last January, does he feel more confident in his body? “All true. The ankle braces limit the joint and the effort is distributed across the structure, resulting in overloading certain parts of the body. Eliminating the ankle braces was a long but important process for Jannik. With fundamental psychological implications. By doing in-depth specific work, day after day the player felt more and more confident. Without us putting any pressure on him, at a certain point he came to us: I'm ready, he told us. Since January, in Australia, when he stopped wearing them, he has never missed them. By continuing to pay the right attention to his fragilities, I would say that there is no going back”.
Gym and therefore weights, but not too many, here's why: "Tennis is a sport in which the specific strength to perform the technical gesture must be explosive. I don't demonize strength work, however, with Jannik's physique, the functional aspect is more important. We do three-dimensional work to develop the connection between segments that make his gesture as effective as possible. In tennis there are three areas that must be linked together in concert: physique, mind and technique".
Without tournaments, there is monotony in Sinner's day, and breaking it is important. Perhaps this is also why he said he went cycling with friends, tried karting and other things. Panichi confirms the importance of introducing new stimuli and breaking routines: “A lot, but not only in this particular period. Even travel and planes can generate a routine. The motivational aspect is crucial: we continually challenge Jannik with new stimuli, we push him to do new things, new to him. Even simple ones: a game of golf, a visit to a museum… Broadening the mental sphere allows you to show up for training fresher. However, it is equally true that a certain repetitiveness is useful for comparison, without running the risk of caging the player in something too monotonous. It is the variety in the work protocol that allows us to understand if we are doing well. (…) During the forced stop he is discovering new things, which stimulate him.
When we go to tournaments it is impossible to dedicate ourselves to anything other than training, matches and recovery. Furthermore, Jannik can no longer go around without being recognized and stopped. In these three months, moreover, he has taken some time off for himself: he has rediscovered himself. The detoxification is underway. I am very happy: on a mental level he is transformed. He will return to Rome with enormous motivation and an important freshness".
This is how Panichi describes Sinner's motor talent: "Coordination, stamina, neurovegetative aspect: Jannik has the physique of a decathlete, he knows how to do everything well. If he were stronger, he could not be so agile. If he is an almost perfect machine we have to thank Hanspeter and Siglinde Sinner, the parents who passed on his DNA to him. But, from my point of view, his most extraordinary talent is the management of situations, whether it is a training session or a very tense match: he has an operational calm, in the moments that count, that is rare. Mind and body are an integrated system: when one pulls it down, the other pushes it up. He knows how to use emotions as a source of energy: if you have an emotional overflow, you block; but he knows how to surf on emotions, always staying on the crest. The integrated system trains, of course. But you have to be born with the skills of Jannik Sinner”.
