Jannik Sinner won the Miami Open last time out.
But he wasn’t the only Italian to triumph in Florida…
Doubles stars Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori won the Miami Open, too.
Vavassori practiced with Sinner before the final and has now identified the world number two’s biggest weapon.
Andrea Vavassori says Jannik Sinner’s return is his ‘real killer shot’
During an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vavassori shared his thoughts on the four-time Grand Slam champion.
“I trained with him right before his final. Jannik [Sinner] came to me before the match against [Alexander] Zverev, and we warmed up for 50 minutes together,” he said.
“His pace from the baseline is unreal, but the real killer shot is his return: he didn’t miss a single serve against me, he could return every one of my serves.”
ATP Tour (Return rating) – Last 52 weeks
| Rank | Name | Return rating | % 1st Serve return points won | % 2nd Serve return points won | % Return games won | % Break points converted |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 165.1 (Best on ATP Tour) | 33.2% | 57.2% (Best on ATP Tour) | 31.8% (Best on ATP Tour) | 42.9% |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 162.2 | 34.6% (Best on ATP Tour) | 53.6% | 30.5% | 43.5% |
| 3 | Francisco Cerundolo | 158.7 | 32.7% | 53.3% | 29.0% | 43.7% |
| 4 | Alex de Minaur | 155.5 | 31.2% | 54.2% | 27.3% | 42.8% |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | 154.8 | 33.2% | 53.0% | 27.9% | 40.7% |
| 6 | Sebastian Baez | 153.6 | 31.8% | 51.7% | 26.4% | 43.7% |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | 151.8 | 31.7% | 53.0% | 25.9% | 41.2% |
| 8 | Mariano Navone | 151.5 | 32.4% | 51.2% | 27.3% | 40.6% |
| 9 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 150.3 | 29.7% | 52.4% | 24.9% | 43.3% |
| 10 | Marton Fucsovics | 149.6 | 30.8% | 53.5% | 25.3% | 40.0% |
| 12 | Holger Rune | 148.5 | 29.5% | 50.5% | 23.6% | 44.9% (Best on ATP Tour) |
Unsurprisingly, Sinner ranks first on the ATP Tour for ‘Return rating’ for the past 12 months.
But as good as Sinner’s return is, it’s his mind that often gives him the edge.
Vavassori shared the advice his countryman gave to him before his doubles final in Miami.
“The most useful thing was the advice he gave me before my final,” said Vavassori.
“After practice, he asked me what time my match was.
“I replied, ‘At 12:30.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Then be careful, because at that time the shadow will be in the middle of the court and it will be more difficult to play; then it will move towards the baseline, and it will be easier to score points with the serve.’
“That’s exactly what happened.
- Miami Open doubles final – Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori defeated Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, 6-4, 6-2
“That tells you what kind of player he is: no one analyzes the details and prepares matches like him.”
Sinner, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, has dominated men’s tennis recently.
Vavassori was asked if he was worried that the Alcaraz/Sinner domination could become boring.
“Having players like Sinner and Alcaraz is an immense blessing for our sport,” he said.
“Right now, they’re the strongest, but in the coming years, we’ll see several outsiders like Arthur Fils or Joao Fonseca.
“There’s also [Jakub] Mensik, who has already shown he can compete at a certain level.
“And let’s not forget the other Italians: [Lorenzo] Musetti has wonderful tennis and can beat anyone, and [Flavio] Cobolli has developed incredibly.
“I often train with Flavio, and I assure you, his shots are unbelievably powerful.”
As Vavassori rightly mentioned, there are several Italian players impressing on the ATP Tour.
Can any other Italians join Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti in the top 10?
There are currently four Italian players ranked inside the world’s top 20.
- 2. Jannik Sinner – 12,400 points
- 5. Lorenzo Musetti – 4,265 points
- 13. Flavio Cobolli – 2,520 points
- 19. Luciano Darderi – 2,050 points
Flavio Cobolli is the closest to the top 10 (13th).
He trails the world number 10, Daniil Medvedev, by 1,090 points.
His countryman, Luciano Darderi, is a further 470 points behind.
If either player is to break into the top 10, they’ll likely need a deep run at one of the Grand Slam or Masters 1000 events.
Perhaps they could do just that at the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters.
Will Carlos Alcaraz bounce back by winning the Monte Carlo Masters?
If not, who will win the title?
Cobolli will play a qualifier in his opening match, while Darderi takes on Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.
Sinner and Musetti will join the competition in the second round, with the former playing Ugo Humbert or Moise Kouame, and the latter playing Kamil Majchrzak or Valentin Vacherot.
Only time will tell how the Italians will perform in the principality, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Monte Carlo Masters main draw begins on Sunday, April 5.
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