G’day,
Jannik Sinner is the best player in the world today. Period.
Sinner won Rotterdam yesterday with a gutsy 7-5, 6-4 victory over Alex De Minaur. He has now won 15 matches in a row and collected back-to-back titles after winning the Australian Open at the start of the year.
But Sinner’s current purple patch goes back further than this.
It actually started at Wimbledon last year, where he reached the semi-finals. Here are his tournament results starting at Wimbledon 2023.
- Wimbledon = Semi’s
- Toronto Masters 1000 = Winner
- Cincinnati Masters 1000 = Rd 32
- US Open = Rd 16
- Beijing ATP 500 = Winner
- Shanghai Masters 1000 = Rd 16
- Vienna ATP 500 = Winner
- Paris Masters 1000 = Rd 16
- ATP Finals = Finalist
- Davis Cup Finals = Winner
- Australian Open = Winner
- Rotterdam ATP 500 = Winner
Sinner has played 12 events starting at Wimbledon and has won half of them. That’s a rock-solid run that has taken him from No. 8 in the world to No. 3. At this pace, he is on a collision course to be the No. 1 player in the world in the next few months. He only has to defend one round (45 points) at Roland Garros, zero points at the Madrid Masters 1000, and 90 points (Rd 16) at Rome.
So let’s dig into the match metrics. He is 44-5 starting at Wimbledon last year, which equals winning 90% of matches. Very impressive.
But what percentage of points has he won during this purple patch?
Glad you asked.
The answer is 54.1% (4408/8155)
This is the reality of tennis. It’s a game of incredibly small margins played over incredibly big distances.
If you want to be the best player on the planet, all you have to do is tip a 50-50 battle to 54-46 and you rule the world.
Now, think about the flip side of Sinner’s spectacular run. He is losing 46 points out of every 100 and he is making bank and clubbing his way up through the Top 10 in the world.
Sinner has won 661 points more than his opponents (4408 won / 3747 lost) while competing in 134 sets. That equals an average of just 5 points per set.
So let’s reflect on your game. How can you find five more points a set in your matches? How about this way…
- Force one more return error a set.
- Quality FH approach to the BH = passing shot missed.
- Hit more run-around forehands to own more baseline battles.
- Force one more Serve +1 error per set. Target the big backswing on the forehand with a deep middle return.
- Less unnecessary change of direction in the point. Force your opponent to change, and miss.
Finding five more points in a set can be tough sometimes – until you have a plan. Notice that the five ways to find a point does not include hitting any winners. It’s all about finding “pinch points” in the point to make your opponent uncomfortable.
Here are some more interesting stats from Sinner’s run that started at Wimbledon.
- He played seven matches where he didn’t win more points than his opponent.
- He played six matches where his points won percentage was north of 60%.
- He played nine matches where the win percentage was in the 54% bracket. The most of any percentage point.
Summary
Sinner is the hottest player on the planet right now – by tipping his points won total just a little – not a lot. His game is so solid he can find the points required to create his advantage when serving, returning, or from either side of his formidable groundstrokes. He is also improving at the net as well.
A saying that applies to all sports that I love is “You are never as far away as you seem.”
That certainly applies to Sinner’s last several months as he has marginally upped his points won percentage and has scorched through the field. The power of 54% is all-mighty.