What Jannik Sinner particularly wants for 2021

But Sinner doesn't even think about the world rankings when he is asked about his wishes for the new season. “I just hope that it will be a normal season,” he says, “that I can play as many matches as possible, around 60 would be ideal, that I gain a few kilos and of course that I continue to develop as a player.” He sees the greatest scope for improvement, especially when it comes to serving and at the net. “But I’m still young, I can still improve everywhere.”

It wasn't an easy year 2020. Not even for Jannik Sinner. A total of 32 tournaments were only played, the professional tour was interrupted from the beginning of March to mid-August. Nevertheless, Sinner has again set milestones in his young career. He won his first match at a Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne in January and beat a top ten player, David Goffin, for the first time in February. He has defeated a total of 3 players in the top 10 in the world. After Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rome, Alexander Zverev also at the French Open. That earned him a quarterfinal duel with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. And no other player challenged the Spanish clay court king as much as the young Pusterer on the way to his 13th triumph in Paris. “I don’t look so much at results or records.” Jannik Sinner At the end of the season, Sinner achieved the first tournament victory of his career on November 14th in Sofia. He beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-6 in the third set, becoming the youngest ATP tournament winner from Italy ever at the age of 19 years and 3 months. “The win in Sofia is my best memory of 2020, also because I played very well. But I don't look so much at results or records. After a good game, I'm satisfied, but I always remember that I want to continue to improve," says Sinner, who was unable to defend his title at the unofficial U21 World Championship in Milan due to corona.

Sinner won his first tournament victory in Sofia in mid-November. © APA/afp / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV

His goal remains to get better in every match in 2021. “After that we’ll see what happens.” Of course, Sinner is aware that the eyes - especially those of tennis fans in Italy - are on him. “Jannik has remained so normal in a world that is not that at all,” says coach Riccardo Piatti, calling the greatest advantage of his protégé, who he brought to Bordighera in Liguria in the summer of 2015. Sinner was not yet 14 years old at the time.

“The preparation in Monte Carlo went well,” says Sinner, feeling ready for the new year. He has trained well in the principality where he is based, with many good players who also reside in the Mediterranean. Among other things, with his “stable colleague” Stan Wawrinka, who, like him, is under contract with the Starwing Sports agency. 2 million euros in sponsorship money per year The media all over the world is excited about him, the sponsors are still lining up for the young Pusterer, whose carefree attitude is well received everywhere. Together with Italy's sprinter Filippo Tortu and swimmer Simona Quadarella, he is the new "face" of the Italian telecommunications company Fastweb. The last big sponsor that Sinner got.

Jannik Sinner promotes numerous premium brands, including Parmiggiano Reggiano. © Social Media / Jannik Sinner

Head, Nike, Rolex, Lavazza, Technogym, Parmiggiano Reggiano and Alfa Romeo are also advertising partners of Jannik Sinner, who, according to various media reports, earns over 2 million euros in sponsorship money a year. This would put him in third place in the ranking of Italian individual athletes (excluding the soccer stars and Italy's NBA basketball players) behind motorcycle ace Valentino Rossi (8 million) and Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri (between 3 and 4 million). On par with swimming superstar Federica Pellegrini and ski ace Sofia Goggia.

In addition, last year he received prize money of $733.860 (around 620.000 euros), with which he broke the one million mark in his career (career prize money of 1.390.251 dollars or the equivalent of around 1,113 million euros). Sinner's timetable for the next few weeks Sinner knows that the corona pandemic is not over yet and that the much longed-for normality on the tour may still be a long way off. The tennis year does not begin in Australia as usual for professionals, but for Sinner next week in Antalya, Turkey. He will then fly to Australia with his team in mid-January to observe the two-week quarantine before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year from February 8th to 21st in Melbourne. Before the Australian Open, two ATP 250 tournaments will be played in Melbourne in the first week of February as a warm-up, so to speak. Sinner will also take part in one.

It is not yet clear what will happen next for him. The ATP players' association only published the calendar until the end of March last week. He will probably return to Europe. A start at the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam in the first week of March is firmly planned. Because Indian Wells has been postponed for the time being, the first Masters tournament of the season is on the program in Miami from March 24th to April 4th. The clay court season in Europe is scheduled to start in mid-April. If the coronavirus doesn't bother you.

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What Jannik Sinner particularly wants for 2021

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