Rising Star Jannik Sinner has insisted that he still has a lot of work to do in the coming months and people shouldn’t read too much into his rapid rise in the ATP rankings.
The week the 19-year-old broke into the top 20 for the first time in his career at No.19. To put that into perspective both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer first broke into the top 20 at the same age. Sinner’s rise comes after what has been a solid start to the season with him winning the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne before going on to reach the final of the Miami Masters. Becoming the youngest player to reach a Masters final since Rafael Nadal back in 2005.
Despite his surge on the Tour in recent months, Sinner says he doesn’t feel any extra pressure now he is at his new ranking high. He is playing at the Barcelona Open this week and sealed a place in the quarter-finals on Thursday by knocking out fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(9), 6-2. Making it the third time he has beaten the Spaniard in the past two months.
“I don’t feel pressure for the ranking, it’s just a number,” he commented during his press conference. “Obviously I am happy to be in the top 20, but the road is long and I know that I have to keep improving a lot of things and that is why I am working very hard with the people who are with me. Also, the current pressure is the same as when it was top30.”
As it currently stands the rising star is seventh in the ATP Race to Turin, which is where the season-ending Tour Finals will be played. However, he refuses to read too much into its significance given the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on some players and their ability to play tournaments.
“Seeing me among the best 8 of the year today, no, I did not expect it, but we must also bear in mind that many tennis players have not been able to play many tournaments and that they have not been able to do well in the Slams,” Sinner explains.
“Next comes Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. In a few months many points are distributed. I do not want to tell you (the media) that I am surprised or not, because it is true that so far, I have played well in the tournaments that I have played.’
“The main thing for me is to improve and I am working on that with my team. Right now the ranking is not important, this looks better at the end of the year to see where I am. In five or six months we will see where I am.”
Next up for Sinner in Barcelona is a showdown with Andrey Rublev who has won more matches than anybody else on the ATP Tour so far this season. It is set to be the first proper meeting between the two. Last year Sinner retired three games into their match in Vienna due to injury.
“He is a great player, he started the season very well, last year he won many tournaments and has hardly lost games,” he said of the Russian. “Without a doubt, he is one of the best tennis players of the moment, but I will do my best to make him uncomfortable. I expect a great battle.”
