The one potential weakness in Jannik Sinner’s game has been spotted by Taylor Fritz’s coach

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Jannik Sinner has dominated the ATP Tour since the beginning of 2024, winning three of the five available Grand Slam titles.

Ranked number one in the world, no player on the ATP Tour has been able to keep up with the 23-year-old Italian.

Sinner won the Australian Open in January, taking his Major tally to three, having won titles in New York and Melbourne one year earlier.

He did, however, encounter a significant setback recently, as Sinner received a three-month suspension from tennis that will see him miss the first four Masters 1000 tournaments of 2025.

Sinner will no doubt be one of the favorites for the French Open upon his return, although one top ATP coach thinks he may have found a slight weakness in his game that could be exploited.

Taylor Fritz’s coach Michael Russell thinks Jannik Sinner can be made to feel uncomfortable at the net

World number four Taylor Fritz enjoyed the best year of his career in 2024, reaching his first Major final at the US Open.

Fritz lost to Sinner in New York, and his coach, Michael Russell, is now looking at the ways the American can hurt the 23-year-old when they next play one another.

“Taylor [Fritz] is very calculated, you see when he plays a lot of times in pressure moments he’s got a very good tennis IQ,” he said.

“Sometimes there’s a little bit too much thought, a little bit of overthinking and I think it’s that balance between risk/reward, he needs to step up and take a little more risk sometimes in certain situations against those guys.

“With [Jannik] Sinner, keep developing the slice, being able to bring Jannik in; [he’s] not as comfortable at the net.

“Not to say he’s not capable at the net, but from the back of the court he basically has two wings where he can hurt you from.

“Taylor needs to continue to look at ways to point construct, to put Jannik in awkward positions on the court.”

Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record

Fritz lost three matches to Sinner in 2024, as the Italian took control of their head-to-head.

Sinner beat Fritz to win the ATP Finals in Turin, as he took down the American in another big match last year.

In a repeat of their round-robin match, Sinner eased past Fritz in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to lift the ATP Finals trophy for the first time in his career.

Four years have now passed since Fritz last beat Sinner, when he took him down in the last 16 at Indian Wells.

Facing off for the first time on the ATP Tour, it was the American who came out on top, as he booked his place in the quarter-finals.

It remains to be seen who will come out victorious when the pair next take to the court against each other, although it will certainly be interesting to see if Fritz can bring Sinner to the net more, just as his coach suggested.

Taylor Fritz closes gap to Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings

Fritz’s win over Adam Walton saw him qualify for the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, his best performance of 2025.

World number three Carlos Alcaraz lost his opening match in Miami, as the American begins to close the gap in search of a career-high ranking.

Fritz currently trails Alcaraz by 1,630 points but could close the gap by a further 200 points with a win over Matteo Berrettini in the Miami Open quarters on Thursday, March 27.