Simone Vagnozzi reveals the secrets behind Jannik Sinner’s success in Monte Carlo
Simone Vagnozzi spoke at a press conference after Jannik Sinner’s victory in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, emphasizing the difficulties faced by the Italian after the Sunshine Double, with very little time to adapt to European clay. “We are obviously very happy, because winning a title on clay was one of our goals this year.”
“We couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to start. Today, I think what makes me happiest is that, after Miami and Indian Wells, after a really difficult month, he came here and, day after day, throughout the tournament, he improved his game. Today was not easy given the conditions. It was very windy. But he managed to win every point. The match was very close, so tactically he played really well today. It wasn’t easy with the wind, but he played a really, really solid match.”
Jannik Sinner adapted day by day to the new conditions. “After Miami he took two days off and on Tuesday we started to familiarize ourselves a little bit with the court, with the slides on clay, because that’s the movement that differs the most between concrete and clay. Then we started playing with a little bit more spin, opening up the angles a little bit more, trying sometimes short balls, sometimes topspin shots. So day by day, we improved all these tactical and movement aspects. Then we try to put them into practice on the court during the matches. We are really happy, because I think after the first two matches he started to feel the game better, with more short balls, more variation in the height of the ball and the serve. We’re really very impressed with his level here.”
The results gathered are the result of previous work: “I wasn’t in Indian Wells. Darren Cahill, Umberto Ferrara and the rest of the team were there. I think they really spurred him on. The blocking they did together was definitely key. And I think the confidence he gained in Indian Wells, winning the title, did him a lot of good. A champion like him needs to feel the victory, to touch the trophy. It’s really important. He needs it. So the confidence he gained in Indian Wells and Miami was really important for this title.”
