ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 14, 2021

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/J. Sinner

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was the first time you played Novak in a match. How did you feel about how you played today? What was it like facing him?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, today I think I started quite well. Then in 2-1 with serve, that game I didn't play it well. Then he started to moving me a little bit more. After I tried to play a little bit deeper, trying to move him.

Yeah, I think what I missed were maybe one game each set I played a little bit not in the right way, which in the first set was 2-1, in the second set it was 4-2 when he was serving. When he went 5-2, I didn't play well that game.

But I think the rest was not a bad match from my side. At some point, especially in the second set, the level was very high.

Q. Obviously since the tour restarted you've been doing really well, winning titles, French Open quarters. Does it feel it's been happening quickly? Or the pace of your rise, you're able to digest it well and understand it, it's not going as fast as we see it?

JANNIK SINNER: No, I think it's just always about improving. Obviously playing tournaments like this without crowd is not the same feeling when there were the crowd and all the rest. It's tough for every player.

But the focus is always about improving. That's what I'm doing. That's what I'm trying to do. Try to learn from this match today as well, even if sometimes it's tough to accept.

But there is only one way, yeah, to improve. I have the good team. I have the right people behind me who knows what you have to do. Yeah, I hope I play once more against Novak.

Q. You said you learned from a match like today. How much do you learn from a match against Novak? You train often with him. But from a match like that, how much do you learn for the future?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, first you have to speak with the team. It's not that I know everything (smiling).

Obviously what I see is that he is defending better than me when he's coming in the run. We have to learn there. We have to serve a little bit better. Everything, you know.

I think the biggest part where I have to learn, but I knew already, is to understand the right situations in every match, to don't go too much, don't go too slow, all the rest. It's trying to understand the situation. That's what I'm trying to do.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't work, like today where maybe your opponent is better than you or understands faster than you. That's the point. He's doing that. I think I have to learn this part of the game.

Q. What makes it so difficult to play against Djokovic? You met him for the first time, so you know him a little bit better now. What makes it so difficult?

JANNIK SINNER: Maybe that every ball is coming back. I think that's difficult. As I said before, he's moving good, especially in the important points. He's serving good. He's making the right decisions on important points. I think that's the most difficult part.