Jannik Sinner will head into this year’s clay-court season brimming with anticipation.
After all, he has plenty to prove on this surface, particularly after being forced to miss the bulk of it last year.
Alas, when he did return, two losses in finals to Carlos Alcaraz only added insult to injury, and will provide ample fuel for the world number two to strike back harder.
His campaign begins in Monte Carlo, and speaking at the event’s media day, Jannik Sinner offered his honest thoughts about playing on clay, particularly given the fact that he has only ever won one ATP title on the dirt.
Jannik Sinner explains why he’s only ever won one title on clay
He began by insisting he does enjoy playing on this surface.
Sinner stated: “I do like to play on clay, but it’s not my favourite surface. I do believe I can play some good tennis.
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“I haven’t won any [Masters 1000 clay events] yet, but I’ve been close here a couple of times. I can’t predict the future, but it would be nice to win here… It’s a tournament I love to play, and I’m happy to be here.”
Then, expanding on that one-title statistic, he added: “I believe last year was a great clay season.
“I also had loads of time to prepare because of certain scenarios I had, and now I find myself again in a different position and situation because we have a couple of days to prepare for a very big tournament on clay.
“So, but I also know mentally that I can’t play good on clay. It doesn’t mean that I win.
“I also know that I can lose, I never won anything big on this surface, so I’m looking forward to it, trying to put myself in the position, hopefully, and then we’ll see.”
Another huge contributor to his desperation to perform on clay this year will be the opportunity for Sinner to regain the world number one spot from Alcaraz in the coming months. Given the respective points they had to defend, it’s certainly there to be taken.
Jannik Sinner’s historical record on clay
Despite having only ever won one title on clay, last year proved that Sinner does not struggle on that surface.
After all, he looked terrifying when he returned from his three-month suspension in Rome, tearing through the draw before running out of gas in the final against Alcaraz.
Then, at Roland Garros, he again reached the final with ease, without dropping a single set whilst administering three bagel sets too.
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He famously then had three championship points, before Alcaraz then conjured up the most incredible of comebacks to deny him the ultimate clay-court title.
Across his career, Sinner has played 124 matches on this surface, winning 88 at a win rate of 71%. This is slightly below his average win rate across all surfaces (77%).
