Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open title always felt inevitable, especially given his record against Jiri Lehecka before last night’s match.
In the end, it was much of the same, as the Czech was once again defeated without winning a single set; this was the fifth time this has happened in their head-to-head.
For the Italian, it marked the culmination of an entire month’s hard work, cementing his spot in history as his dominance at the Masters 1000 level continued.
However, Jannik Sinner admitted that the match was not as easy as the scoreline might suggest, although he attributed that to external factors rather than anything Lehecka could offer on the court.
Jannik Sinner explains the struggles of playing after a rain delay
Speaking at his post-match press conference, the 24-year-old was asked how he dealt with the numerous rain delays, both before and midway through his Miami Open final.
He began by sharing what he did after they were forced off court following the conclusion of the first set, before explaining the difficulties that such a break had given momentum was very much in his favour.
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Sinner stated: “I listened to some music. I felt like I was in a good spot before it was raining.
“I was hitting the ball a bit cleaner, especially the first game when he was serving.
“But this can happen and I tried to focus very much on my service games. I had a couple of chances early on when we had to play again, but I could not use them, and that’s tennis.
“In the end I found a way to break him and served out in a very good way.
“I tried to listen to some music, also joke around a little bit because there was a little bit of tension but I am happy with how I handled it.”
Sinner has matched Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after winning Miami, as one of many historic achievements he earned by claiming this title.
Jannik Sinner’s sensational serving performance in the Miami Open final
To beat Sinner, it takes something truly extraordinary.
However, when he is serving as well as he did last night, it seems like an almost impossible task.
After all, he actually enjoyed a run of 18-straight serve points won during the final, with Lehecka failing to convert any of the three break points he mustered.
Sinner, meanwhile, brought about 11 break points, highlighting a relentless pressure on both the serve and return.
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Discussing that 18-point serving run in the same interview, he added: “I tried to be focus. I try to understand why I miss the first serves before. In the beginning the conditions were very different. We hadn’t really played in this couple of weeks in these conditions, they were very heavy the balls, so it was tough to go through it.
“I missed a couple of first serves into the net, because they were quite heavy.
“But I tried to understand what would be best to serve. He is a very aggressive returner who stands very close, so you have to hit very precise, if not he has it on the racket.
“I’m happy with how I handled this week, especially the tough situations.”
