Jannik Sinner produced the best season of his career in 2024 but there is still room for improvement in his game.
The Italian claimed nine titles across the last 12 months, including the Davis Cup, and becoming the World number one for the first time.
Sinner lost just six matches in 2024, and none of those defeats came in straight sets. Sinner is the first player to achieve this feat since Roger Federer in 2005.
These statistics show just how dominant Sinner was this season, but his desire to keep improving spells trouble for the rest of the field looking to catch him at the top of the rankings.
What shot is Jannik Sinner still learning to play after advice from his coach?
Jannik Sinner vastly improved his game over the course of the recently concluded season. The 23-year-old has been lauded for his increased level of serving, and his ability to hit powerful and offensive shots and yet stay so consistent.
Players find it very difficult to break Sinner down, and he gives opponents very little time to settle during rallies. However, Sinner admitted he struggles with the slice backhand, a shot he rarely plays.
He has taken advice on how to improve this shot from coach Simone Vagnozzi, but it is still a work in progress for the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“When [former Italian tennis pro] Simone Vagnozzi came to my team, he gave me seven to eight pieces of information per game. I honestly didn’t understand anything,” Sinner told Esquire Australia.
“He told me: ‘Every now and then you make a slice’. But I didn’t know how to do it, so we made a lot of changes. It’s a shot I don’t do technically correct, because I hold the racket with two hands. Still, I feel more confident with it.
“Simone is good because we talk a lot and he doesn’t impose rules on me. He asks me to be more fluid and with the right distance. Touching the ball in the right way also means spending less energy.”
Jannik Sinner enters 2025 with Australian Open title defence on his mind
Sinner enjoyed a fantastic 2024 season, but 2025 is going to be even tougher as he goes into tournaments as the man to beat. This is especially the case with the Australian Open, which Sinner won in dramatic fashion.
He handed Novak Djokovic his first loss at Melbourne Park since 2018 and came from a set down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.
This kickstarted a special year for Sonner and he will be determined to begin 2025 in the same manner by defending his Australian Open title. However, Sinner is unsure about some things into his first Grand Slam title defence.
“There are going to be many, many first times in our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Grand Slam or something else,” Sinner said. “You just have to be yourself as a player in this case and try to understand if it works or not.”
“This is then going to be a problem in Melbourne. I don’t know how I am going to react, how I am going to play. For sure, I’m going to prepare for it in the best possible way. Like every tournament, we try to prepare it, and then we see.
“I always say tennis is unpredictable. You never know what can happen. So it’s going to be all good if mentally you’re in a good place.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
