MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 29, 2024

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/D. Medvedev

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Well done, Jannik. Would you rank this match among your best performance in your career?

JANNIK SINNER: This, I don't know, but for sure very happy to be back in the final. Today was a great day for me. Starting off very well and solid, and happy to finish the match like this.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations. We were just talking to Daniil, and I asked him what's different in your game from last year to this year, this same moment in the Miami Open final last year to this year. He said you're choosing your shots better, but the biggest difference he saw was that your serve is so much better this year. He said that's a hard thing to change, you know, to work on the serve. Can you just talk about that? Do you feel the same way, that your serve is a big difference in the last year?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, for sure. I feel like I have many more solutions to put also on the court. The serve has always been, for me, the toughest shot to improve, but also because physically I was not ready to play in this kind of pace and precision.

So we have done great work throughout the last one-and-a-half years now. You know, I changed couple of things with the team what I have now, and yeah, so I have to say this for sure is one of my key points, because, you know, when you have long rallies, especially against Daniil, then the next point, you know, if you can take the point, you know, with the serve is really important.

So, yeah, for sure this, but maybe also other, you know, tactical side was also much better today.

Q. So 11 months ago, Daniil led 6-0 in your head-to-head. Now it's 6-5 for Daniil still but you won five matches in a row. Obviously something clicked, something worked in the way you prepare matches against him. Can you describe how you worked to challenge him and then to beat him regularly now?

JANNIK SINNER: It's going to be interesting to see now in the future what's happening, what's he's gonna change, where I have to be very clear with my mind.

But for sure he's a player who made me a better player, because, you know, I had to, for example in Beijing, I started to serve and volley. Then in Vienna I tried to serve and volley but it was not working again.

So here I had to be very careful on couple of things, but, you know, these kind of players, they make you a better player. It sometimes doesn't really matter the head-to-head, but it matters how you understand from your losses and trying to learn.

That's what I have been trying in the last years not only with him but also with other opponents, and this makes me, yeah, a better player.

Q. What have you learned in the last year about playing finals and preparing for finals that you didn't necessarily know when you were losing more finals, especially in the big tournaments?

JANNIK SINNER: It's just to enjoy the moment, because it's a great day, Sundays, for tennis players. If you're still in tournament, it means that it's the best day, an exciting day. So I'm just trying to, you know, enjoy this moment.

For me, it's the third time that I can play the final here in Miami, which is an amazing achievement for me personally, and then hopefully I can lift once the bigger trophy. If not, it was again a great result, a great opportunity, and that's it.

The first time I came here I made final, like, I couldn't sleep the night. The second time, which was last year, I was relaxed because I went through periods of where I made already, you know, experiences.

Now I'm a different player, different person. I will handle it hopefully a little bit better again. If I win, good. If not, it's again a great result.

Q. I know you were just making a comment of where you would rate this, the way you played today, but you have played Daniil now twice in two months. I appreciate that the circumstances, conditions were very different in Melbourne. Do you think today you played better than you did in Melbourne or was Melbourne still above today?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, different matchup, for sure, but I played very solid today, especially in the beginning of the sets. Then after, he missed couple of shots where usually he is not missing them.

Then when there is, even if the difference is quite small from one player to the other one, but if one plays a little bit better that day and the other player plays a little bit worse, sometimes the difference is big.

Today it was like this. But in the other way, you have to be careful, because the score is this one, but if he breaks me early in the first set or if he breaks me with the breakpoint he had on 2-1 in the second set, things are going to change from this to this (smiling).

So we see only the score, but tactically today I felt very good, and I'm prepared even if the score would have been 3-All, 4-All, 5-All, and that's it, no.

It's tough to say that this one was better than the other one. The other one was more special because of certain things, but I think that's it.

Q. Just in the big picture, 21-1 in 2024, I mean, how are you even surprised at this great start to the year for you?

JANNIK SINNER: I am surprised, for sure. I mean, it's something I was not expecting, for sure. But, you know, it also shows that I take everything day by day, and that's what's happening, it's happening. You cannot really control everything. You just can control the emotions, the will to improve day by day, and that's it.

For sure I'm really happy about the season I'm playing in. Who would not be happy? But in the other way, I know that the players, they get to know me more. They study me so I have to be ready.

I was struggling earlier in this tournament, as we saw, and it also shows that every day is different, no? Today I felt great on court. Maybe Sunday I will not feel great. I don't know what will be happening, but it's just day by day, and that's it.

Q. You mentioned about not being able to sleep before a final, and you mentioned that a couple of times. Was that nerves and sort of being nervous before a final? You have also talked a little bit about how you changed as a person over the last year. Is that the sort of maturing as a player, is that handling nerves, but what else is involved?

JANNIK SINNER: It's the first time where I really felt a match was in the first time that I played the final here. I still remember the night that, you know, I couldn't sleep because, you know, I was not sure if I could get back in this position again.

So for me was like even if I was really young and able to make this final, I was, like, who knows if I can be again in a final? Like, back in the days. I remember that the draw was opening. So I just took the chance, and I saw myself in the final.

Now I'm more sure that I can make it. It doesn't mean that I have to make it, but it's a different feeling. I just take it very relaxed. I'm happy how me and my team are, because we watch the results, of course, but we try to improve, trying to improve throughout the tournaments, which means Indian Wells was one thing and here is a different thing.

In my mind, I know that this is the last hard court tournament before going to clay. I just try to finish it off in a good way.

I'm in the final. It's already a good way. That's it.

Q. Looking ahead, the two opponents that you might face, can you just talk about the particular challenges of each of the two players, and the way Grigor played last night against Carlos, what do you expect from each of those?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, starting off with Grigor, we saw an amazing Grigor yesterday night (smiling). He played incredible tennis. He's very, very talented physically. You know, really, really good shape. He has the talent to change things of up on a tennis court because of the way he plays. He can stand back, he can go close. He has very, very good hand skills. He can do whatever he wants.

With Sascha, it's a little bit different, because he serves incredibly well, so it's going to be tough to break him. I have to take care of my service games, and we had some great fights throughout the last years, even if we haven't met so many times.

But it's gonna be interesting to see. He's playing again really, really good tennis. He showed this in Australia. Was two sets to love up against Daniil.

Here it's going to be different, for sure. But let's see. It's going to be a great test for me, a great final, and hopefully I can show some good tennis.