Sinner at Roland Garros: 'There is lots of room to improve, hopefully we are on time'

Roland Garros

Sinner at Roland Garros: 'There is lots of room to improve, hopefully we are on time'

23-year-old reached semi-finals in Paris in 2024

Peter Staples/ATP Tour Jannik Sinner owns a 16-5 win-loss record at Roland Garros. By ATP Staff

Jannik Sinner has already scaled impressive heights in his career, but the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings arrives at Roland Garros with a clear goal: continued improvement.

After seeing his 26-match winning streak ended by Carlos Alcaraz in the final at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome last week, Sinner has had time to sharpen his game ahead of the season’s second Grand Slam.

“I felt in Rome that we have had some stats from that tournament where some were good; some were not where I want to be. That's exactly [how] I felt on court,” Sinner said during his pre-tournament press conference on Friday. “There is a lot of room to improve. Hopefully we are on time to make small changes here. There are no miracles, no? I need some time.”

Despite defeat, there were encouraging signs for Sinner’s run to the championship match in Rome, which was his first tournament since triumphing at the Australian Open in January. However, Grand Slam tournaments pose unique challenges.

Last year in Paris, Sinner reached the semi-finals, but faded in a gruelling five-set battle against Alcaraz, despite holding a two-sets-to-one lead. The three-time major winner, Sinner spoke of the physical toll required to succeed at this level.

“We are working hard, trying to reach the physical level I would like to and how I would like to feel on court," said Sinner, who is 16-5 at Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. "Best-of-five is going to be a great test for me, trying to understand where I am.

“It was great after three months coming back [and] making the final. It was my first big final on clay, which is not to underrate, because we worked a lot for that. We have seen a couple of things where I can improve, and Grand Slams are just different. You have to be mentally ready, physically too trying to use the right energy. It's all about being consistent and solid.”

After his three-month absence, Sinner claimed the desire to “understand” where his game is at was at the top of his priorities. Yet ahead of his campaign in Paris, he states that he had been deepening his understanding with the help of statistics.

“[As] tennis players, we always like to play with what we feel because we don't have second choices when we step on court,” Sinner said. “There are some days you feel good; some days where you don't feel that well. But you always have to try to find a solution.

“For me, the stats are very important, because I missed all my feedback in three months. I don't know exactly how I was playing, if the shots were on the right pace or not, if I'm moving well or not, many things. So we took one of the first matches in Monaco last year, because that was the first clay tournament, and then we took the stats from this first tournament on clay again, trying to understand where I am.

“Now we have a big picture. We know where we have to work, which is very useful. The goal there was to win a couple of matches, and I ended up in the final, which is a huge extra for me. Hopefully this can give me some confidence here in Paris.”

Sinner will hope that this focus can translate into a strong performance at Roland Garros, where he is chasing his third consecutive major after sweeping last year's US Open and January's Australian Open. He will need to be at his best from the start, knowing that the roaring support he received in Rome will now be cheering for his opponent.

The top seed opens against Arthur Rinderknech and could set a potential second-round clash with wild cards Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet, who is retiring after the conclusion of the tournament.

“It's definitely going to be different. I know that. But I don't think they have something against me,” Sinner said of the expected crowd. “It's right that they support the players who are from here, who are local here. It's normal. I got an amazing atmosphere in Rome because I'm Italian. It's right that the players who play in this city or country get more support.”

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