Jannik Sinner sailed through to the China Open quarter-final, but there’s still one wrinkle with his game he’s trying to iron out.
Sinner followed up his China Open win against Marin Cilic by defeating Terence Atmane in the round of 16.
The World No. 2 dropped a set to an inspired Atmane, but responded by hitting the Frenchman with a bagel in the decider.
Sinner was overall quite happy with his game at the China Open, but he did highlight one thing he would like to change.
Jannik Sinner admits to ‘difficult’ shot selection when serving and volleying
Sinner teased a tactical overhaul after his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows and the China Open has been the first opportunity for fans to see what the Italian has been working on.
The star has adopted more serve-and-volley tactics in his opening two matches, but Sinner doesn’t believe it’s the full article yet.
“I put in some serve and volleys. At times it worked very well, sometimes not,” said Sinner in his China Open press conference.
“I also sometimes have to find the right shot also to do it. Sometimes I don’t wait for the right one. But the more things I’m trying to add now, hopefully more positives come in a couple months or so.
“But again, I try to fight. I’m trying to win as many matches as possible. Being again in the quarters means a lot to me. So let’s see what’s coming next round. I’m looking forward to it.”
Sinner will play Fábián Marozsán in the quarter-final, a player he last met in a winning effort at the Halle Open in 2024.
Jannik Sinner highlights Fábián Marozsán’s biggest weapons
Sinner has already reacted to what he expected to get from Marozsan in the quarter-final of the China Open.
Speaking at his press conference, the star revealed: “Yeah, we played in Halle the last time, some time ago, more than a year ago. But he’s playing great. I saw his match today. I saw his first-round match also.
“His peak is very, very high. He’s a big hitter. Has great touch with the ball also. So let’s see. But I’m looking forward to it. It’s kind of a new challenge again, facing a very tough opponent after more than a year. Let’s see what’s coming. But I’m very excited.”
Sinner has lost one of his last eight matches at the China Open, dating back to his final loss to Alcaraz in 2024.
