MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 29, 2023

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/E. Ruusuvuori

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Jannik, for back-to-back semifinals at least in the Sunshine Double month. You know Emil very well. What was the key in today's match?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, we practiced together a lot in the offseason. Also, I know him very well. He's a very nice person and good friend. So it's never easy to play against him.

I think we both have a little bit similar play style, no? We both play a little bit flat the ball. I think today I just won important points, especially in the first set, and yeah, so I'm very happy about my level today. Still was not easy. After the rain was a little bit different, the condition, but I think I adapted myself very well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Simone insist on your serve since the beginning, since he started to work with you. You have only faced one breakpoint in the last two matches. Is it the kind of stats that proved that you improve your serve? Is it the stat on which you continue to work to be more easy on your return games?

JANNIK SINNER: Yes, I think we have improved a lot the serve. I still have days where I struggle a little bit more. I have days where I serve very well.

I felt like against Andrey I served well the round before. But also today, considering everything, I served good. Especially in the important moments when he had breakpoint, I served well there.

But still, there is a lot of work to do. We tried to find the right motion, the right toss and the right tempo, no, to serve every ball in the same motion, no, and then changing the ball a little bit.

There is a lot of work to do still, but considering last year and this year, I feel like a different serve.

Q. You said you were playing cards during the break. Were you playing cards with Emil?

JANNIK SINNER: Oh, no, no, no, no.

Q. Okay. Just another question. You may be headed for another late-round matchup with Carlos. Do you look at the draw and see that and think about your most recent matches with him? Which have been pretty thrilling.

JANNIK SINNER: Well, for sure I think Carlos and Taylor, they have a tough match, no, today still. Hopefully they can play today with the rain.

But, yeah, if I play against Taylor, it is a little bit different than I play against Carlos. Carlos is, yeah, he can mix up the game a little bit more. Talking about last match, and if we play here, I would be happy to play against him again because I look forward for these kind of matches. As I said there, I feel like he makes me a better player.

Let's see what's coming here, no? The court is different. Yeah, I'm just looking forward for these kind of matches, no? And then we see the outcome, and if it's good, it's good. If not, we see what we have to improve again.

Q. Not to obviously just stay on the Alcaraz subject, but you guys had a great match in Indian Wells. Do you think the conditions here are maybe more favorable to you? Are you drawing anything from the previous matches you have won against him to kind of just get there and get the win? Like how would you assess it?

JANNIK SINNER: The court, I won against him on grass. I won against him on clay, and the clay was very slow in Umag. We played in the evening, and it was quite slow.

Here the court is fast. I don't know. I think we both feel good here on these courts. Also, him, I saw him playing his -- he's obviously moving very, very fast and everything, so the court, for sure, is different.

We will know after the match, but as I said, he has a tough match today against Taylor. He serves very good, and if you serve good against Carlos, it's already good. Obviously he is returning very well and moving well, but I don't want to talk about only the potential match against Carlos, because he has a tough match today.

I said to my team after Indian Wells I would love to play against Carlos, because let's see what's happening, no, but, you know, let's see.

Q. Talking about the surfaces, do you feel like you're not limited by the surfaces? Sometimes people are labeled as they are amazing, as we know, some of the superstars on grass or clay or this surface or that surface. Do you feel like with what you're doing with your team you just want to be all-around?

JANNIK SINNER: Yes. I feel like I can play on every surface quite well, no? I made quarters in all Grand Slams and in different surfaces, no? So I feel like getting also stronger physically helps you a lot, because like when the ball is bouncing a little bit lower, you know, if you have a little bit more strength, you can play a little bit longer with this. Let's see this year on clay how I can handle the situation.

It's gonna be also this year I will not have a lot of time to adapt myself for the clay season, because Monte-Carlo is coming very, very soon. So let's see, no? But for sure the results show that also that I can play on every surface.

Q. Back to Carlos, he's trying to make the Sunshine Double. As an opponent and considering that there are only seven players who did the Sunshine Double, do you think it's more difficult to achieve this than winning a Grand Slam, for example?

JANNIK SINNER: You have to ask him. I don't know (smiling). He won a Grand Slam and he won Miami, Indian Wells. He won Miami last year here, so for sure he is at the moment one of the best players if not the best player at the moment, no?

He only lost one match this year, and he was also injured there on that match he lost. So I don't know. Let's see. I just stay focused about myself, no? I have my own path. I have my own way to go. I know that I can still improve many things, and that's a positive I can see because I still can improve, and I can play already good level now. So let's see.

Q. You always speak about always wanting to improve and improve, and that's a big focus for you. Knowing how well you're playing at the moment, how exciting is it that if you continue improving -- you're already one of the very best players in the world -- like what the potential is if you do keep on that path?

JANNIK SINNER: Let's see in the future, no? For sure I feel like that I can serve much better. Physically I can get stronger. Also my forehand and backhand also. I mean, trying to go more to the net, and I just try to try it also out in matches, no?

Because in practice sessions, I am doing already much more from this, but still, I have to do it also in matches. Sometimes even to risk a little bit, no? And then slowly, slowly, getting a little bit more natural and normal, and then we see in the next years.

But for sure, knowing that already I am where I am right now, knowing that I can play good tennis, and if I play good tennis I can play even with quite, yeah, even with every player, no? So let's see.