“Usually I struggle on clay…main goal is Roland Garros” – Jannik Sinner sets his sights on French Open after Miami Open triumph

After securing his first Miami Open title, Jannik Sinner has now set his sights on the French Open. The talented Italian emerged victorious in straight sets against Grigor Dimitrov, claiming his third title of the season at the esteemed ATP Masters 1000 tournament. This victory adds to his impressive season thus far.

Despite starting the final strong and having a break point chance in the third game of the first set, Dimitrov was unable to maintain his momentum. Sinner quickly found his rhythm and his consistent play from the baseline proved to be too much for Dimitrov’s powerful shots. Ultimately, the 2021 and 2023 Miami Open runner-up dominated the match and claimed victory with a score of 6-3, 6-1, hitting a total of 15 winners.

During the press conference after the trophy presentation ceremony, Sinner was questioned about his expectations for the upcoming clay season. In response, the 22-year-old acknowledged his previous difficulties on the surface.

“Now the clay season is coming, so usually I struggle there. So let’s see what I can do this year. Then we see, no?”Sinner said.

The current winner of the Australian Open then highlighted the limited time available to adjust from playing on hard courts to playing on clay. The main draw matches for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the initial major tournament of the clay season, are scheduled to begin on April 8.

“You don’t have so much time to adapt, because Monaco, I guess we start to practice Thursday the first time. So not even one week to get used to the clay,”Sinner added.

Despite his poor performance on clay courts, the Italian remains determined to achieve his ultimate goal of winning the French Open during the clay season. He also emphasized the significance of the upcoming Italian Open in Rome.

“For sure, the main goal is Roland Garros, yes, but trying to work slowly into this tournament and trying to play it in the best possible way. Before I have Rome, for me, especially is a really, really important tournament. You know, playing with the home crowd, it’s always amazing,”Sinner said.

Jannik Sinner’s Impressive Performance at the French Open 2020

Sinners’s debut at the French Open was in 2020, where he became the youngest quarterfinalist at Roland Garros since Novak Djokovic in 2006 and the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to reach the quarterfinals on his debut appearance. During his journey to the quarterfinals, the Italian defeated top players such as David Goffin and Alexander Zverev.

Despite showing potential, Sinner’s lack of experience was evident in his quarterfinal match against Rafael Nadal. In the end, it was Nadal who emerged victorious, defeating the Italian 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 and advancing to the semifinals.

Despite making his debut in 2020, Sinner has been unable to achieve satisfactory results at Roland Garros. In 2021, he suffered another defeat at the hands of Nadal in the fourth round. The following year, an injury forced him to retire during his fourth-round match against Andrey Rublev. In 2023, he faced an early exit from the tournament as Daniel Altmaier caused a major upset in the second round.