Jannik Sinner says he was happy to be able to deliver at the ‘key moments’ during his latest match at Wimbledon on Sunday.
The world No.1 held his nerve to edge out Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(9), in the fourth round, who played three straight five-set matches earlier in the tournament. Sinner has now won 42 out of his first 45 matches this season which is a rare achievement on the ATP Tour. The only players to have also achieved this are Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He is also the first player under the age of 23 to reach three consecutive Wimbledon Quarter-finals since Nadal, who did so between 2006-2008.
Despite his achievements, the Italian is keeping himself grounded at The All England Club.
“I’m not happy with any part of my game in particular,” Sinner admits.
“But I’m satisfied with being able to deliver my best tennis at the key moments. Sometimes this can make a difference. Today’s (Sunday’s) match was one of the most important moments of the tournament. We’ll see what happens now.”
Sinner now has a showdown with Daniil Medvedev in what will be their third meeting on the Tour this season. The Russian is the player who he beat to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open where he came back from two sets down. He also won their latest meeting in Miami by dropping just three games.
According to Sinner, the key to beating Medvedev changes from surface to surface. However, Wimbledon will be the first time they have played against each other on a surface that isn’t a hardcourt.
“It will be a very tactical and very physical match, with very long rallies. Let’s see how he sets up the game and how I set it up. He is playing very well: we trained together at the beginning of this week.” Said Sinner.
“The serve will be fundamental for both of us, which is the most important shot on grass. In Beijing (2023) I tried to serve and volley, and it was the first time I beat him.”
“Then in Vienna, I tried again but it didn’t work very well. You have to know how to accept when a tactic doesn’t work and change it during the game. I will evaluate whether to serve and volley on grass because you don’t have the same support as on hard courts.”
At one stage in his career Sinner had a losing 0-6 head-to-head record against Medvedev before winning their five most recent meetings within 18 months. Only two of those wins were in straight sets.
So how did he manage to turn things around against Medvedev?
“When Jannik came on tour, straightaway everyone was a little bit not shocked but how strong he hits, how he can run fast and hit strong from every position of the court. But he was missing a lot and hence, losing matches.” Medvedev explained following his latest win at Wimbledon.
“As soon as he stopped missing less, it’s very tough to beat him for anyone. That’s why he’s No. 1 in the world.
“He misses less and serves much better. His serve was not as good before.”
Besides his match against Medvedev, Sinner has revealed a small fact about himself. He plays tennis with his right hand but plays football with his left foot. In his words, he ‘does everything with his right’ from his waist upwards and everything with his left below his waist.
NOTE: Some quotes from Sinner were originally spoken in Italian and has been translated.
