For a second consecutive week, meticulous preparation formed the backbone of Jannik Sinner’s breakthrough Monte Carlo Masters success when his defeat of Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final not only returned him to the summit of the world rankings but also sent out an early signal for the remainder of the clay season.
Sinner was widely set to miss Monte Carlo after completing the “Sunshine Double,” winning hardcourt titles at Indian Wells and Miami, to recharge his batteries but the 24-year-old Italian wanted to keep the momentum going.
His 7-6(5) 6-3 victory against Alcaraz gave him the first big title of his career at its slowest surface and made him the only man since Novak Djokovic in 2015 to win three Masters titles in a row to start a season.
“It’s not easy at all. I’m surprised in a really good way,” Sinner told reporters.
If Sinner was early to Indian Wells last month, doing all in preparation of his body for the heat of the Californian desert, his focus ahead of Monte Carlo has been much more tactical; shot selection and, crucially, adjustments based on engagment with each opponent.
“Every day I wake up and try to improve, get better as a player,” Sinner said.
“Here, we’re doing it for a day by day trying to figure out what is the best style against every opponent, because I didn’t play against everyone the same kind of tennis.”
“It means a lot for me and I’ll need some time to understand what happened. It will be nice to take a break from the courts for a few days now.
“It was a little bit crazy, one tournament straight into the next, so we’ll see what’s coming up next.”
Sinner will likely be back in action later this month in Madrid or early May in Rome. And his coach, Simone Vagnozzi, said that the Monte Carlo week was proof positive of how far the Italian had come on clay.
“We’re really happy because he started to feel better after the first two matches, more drop shots, variation with the height of the ball and with the serve,” Vagnozzi said.
“We are so impressed with his level.
The Monte Carlo title will provide Sinner with a psychological lift as the French Open approaches.
Alcaraz, who triumphed over his rival in last year’s Roland Garros final in five sets, knows just how much Sinner has developed on clay.
“We know the Jannik level in clay and I think he is a player that improve a lot year by year,” Alcaraz said.
“He has reached a level on clay that is going to be very dangerous for everybody.”
The main draw for the French Open is May 24.