Jannik Sinner Explains Clay Court Preparation Strategy

This time last year, Jannik Sinner was nearing the end of his three-month ban. Despite missing the start of the clay court season, Sinner made finals runs at the Rome Masters and Roland Garros.

However, Sinner enters the clay court season with a completely different set of expectations this year. He is fresh off completing the Sunshine Double and a record-breaking run of sets won consecutively at ATP Masters 1000 events.

Sinner recently participated in a sit-down interview with the media team for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and explained his preparation for the clay court tournament and beyond.

Training Schedule

When asked how he is structuring his schedule with regard to travel, training, and rest, Sinner said, "Sometimes the simple stuff is the best one. So we started again on Thursday morning. Couple of practice sessions there. The first one very slow just with the coach. The second one we hit on the center court because usually you don't have a lot of time to practice on center court.

So you have to go there earlier days. So yesterday again, a couple of practice sessions, and today, from now on, only one, because I also need to recover physically and mentally. But yeah, movement is different, everything is different. So you need to be ready physically."

Change in Serving Motion

When asked about the changes to his serve, and how it might look different on a clay court, Sinner explained, "Well, no, I believe that it's all a process and then the process is not done yet because I'm 24 years old and it doesn't mean anything if I serve two tournaments well."

Sinner added, "So, the pace is different, the spin is different when you play on clay. So, you don't aim always for a you try to structure your point with early point with earlier shots. And it is different, but we have been working not only the last couple of months but already for years now trying to find the best possible movement for myself."

When asked about his untapped potential on clay courts (Sinner has never won the French Open), Sinner said, "Yeah, I believe last year was a great clay season. I also had loads of time to prepare because of certain scenarios I had, and now I find myself again in a different position and situation because we have a couple of days to prepare for a very big tournament on clay."

Sinner concluded, "But I also know mentally that I can't play good on clay. It doesn't mean that I win. I also know that I can lose. I never won anything big on this surface. So, I'm looking forward to it, trying to put myself in the position hopefully, and then we'll see. I mean, I cannot predict the future."

The Monte-Carlo Masters runs from April 5-12. The ATP 1000 event is played on the clay courts at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.