Italy’s young tennis star, Jannik Sinner, believes his overall levels have improved after his recent triumph in the Halle Open. The 22-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
Sinner has recently become the world number one after replacing the 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who lost the spot after being forced to withdraw from the French Open with a knee injury just before the start of the quarterfinal against Norway’s Casper Ruud.
The one-time Grand Slam winner celebrated that achievement in style as he lifted his first-ever title on a grass court after beating his friend Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6.
Sinner, while talking to the media after the match, stated that he feels that his levels has improved on the grass court. “It has improved for sure but I think the general level has improved,” said the newly-crowned world number one. “I serve a little bit better which helps a lot on this surface and trying to return a little bit more aggressive. I’m obviously happy about this year but Wimbledon is a different tournament. Let’s see what I can do.”
Those words will be really encouraging for Sinner fans, especially ahead of the third Grand Slam of the year — Wimbledon — which will begin on the first of July. The San Candido-born star does not have a great record while playing at Wimbledon, where his best outing came last year.
His journey eventually ended as he lost in the semifinal to the former world number one Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. Apart from winning the Halle Open title, Sinner has also won the Australian Open, an ATP event in Rotterdam and the Miami Open.