Jannik Sinner hopes to gain some valuable knowledge from other athletes during this year’s Olympic Games as he bids to become the first Italian tennis player to win a gold medal. 

The 2024 tennis tournament will be held on clay at Roland Garros which is better known as the venue of the French Open. Sinner is among a series of athletes who have publically stated that one of their priorities for the 2024 season is to play in the Games, alongside others such as Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz told reporters earlier this week in Buenos Aires that he would prefer to win a gold medal rather than a Grand Slam. 

“For me, it is a dream to bring a medal to my country, to Spain, and winning gold is one of the greatest things that can happen to you in the world of sport in general. This year, if you gave me a choice, I would say that I will keep the Olympic gold… although I would like to win both.” Said Alcaraz. 

Historically, the Olympics hasn’t always been a top goal for every tennis player on the Tour with some opting to play Tour events instead. However, in 2024 more players appear to be eager to chase after medals in Paris. So what has changed?

“I believe that every athlete has a different vision. For me, there is the fact that you play every four years so the chance to win a medal, no matter what kind, has a different weight.” Sinner said following his first round win in Rotterdam. 

The 22-year-old has a strong shot at winning the Olympic title given his stellar start to the year when he claimed his first major trophy at the Australian Open. At the end of last season, Sinner was also runner-up at the ATP Finals and guided his team to the Davis Cup title. He has won three out of his four most recent meetings against Djokovic. 

 “It’s important, just being part of that event is an opportunity because you get to know new athletes, all the best in the world.” He continued.

“I can’t wait to at least try to get to know some athletes and ask them some things, even on the mental aspect because it can help you.”

Are there any particular athletes that Sinner would like to get advice from?

“There are plenty of them, we’ll see what opportunities I have there.” He replied when asked. 

Room for improvement

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Despite his surge in success in recent weeks, Sinner admits that there are still areas of his game that he can make better. Overseeing his performance on the Tour are coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi. 

“A lot of things, the change of pace, the volleys, varying my game, the return from behind, the lateral movement, the dropshots.” He replied when asked what improvements he could make.  

The world No.4 used his latest match as an example of areas which he still needs to work on. In the first round of the Rotterdam Open, Sinner beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3. Hitting 17 winners against 10 unforced errors and winning 88% of his first service point. 

“There are many aspects. Every day is different because, for example, today (Wednesday) I felt the service was very well and tomorrow maybe not.” He said.
“Now we (Sinner’s team) only talk about one game and what didn’t work, but I try to look at it at 360 degrees so I can still improve a lot of things. It’s always about details, but if you consider a detail for each shot, it all becomes a huge margin.”

Sinner will play Gael Monfils in the second round of the Rotterdam Open.

Ubaldo’s take

Ubitennis founder Ubaldo Scanagatta is covering events from Rotterdam this week. After attending Sinner’s post-match press conference, he paid tribute to his fellow countryman. 

“Here is another example of Jannik Sinner’s greatness. Many players receive favours and wildcards and then, when they become famous, forget all about it. ‘It’s about being loyal to a tournament…’ he said in his interview. I remember a similar guy called Jose Luis Clerc: he won Florence as a qualifier, and he promised me that he would come back because as a tournament director I had helped him with the scheduling. He always wanted to play first because he couldn’t stand waiting. Years after that tournament, when he was already a top 5 and top 10 player, he returned to Florence which was a small tournament with small prize money! There are very few players who live up to their promises. Sinner once again proves to be a serious, respectful, grateful, reliable guy.”