Jannik Sinner says there are three things he’s still trying to improve which could make a ‘big difference’ to his game

Jannik Sinner has continued his winning streak after returning to the match court at the Cincinnati Open.

Sinner won Wimbledon in his last tournament before the Cincinnati Open, giving himself a few weeks to recover.

The Italian was scheduled to play another tournament, but Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open.

Now as the defending champion, Sinner has returned to the refreshed Cincinnati Open as he looks to get some match practice in ahead of the US Open.

Despite winning his first match back in impressive fashion, Sinner has admitted there are still three areas of his game that need improvement.

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Jannik Sinner names three areas of his game that still need improvement

Sinner, who continues to sport an arm sleeve, made an emphatic start to the Cincinnati Open after beating Daniel Elahi Galan, 6-1 6-1, in just 59 minutes.

This was an eighth consecutive win for Sinner, but he told Tennis Channel that he still feels as though he can improve his serve, net game and drop shots.

The world number one believes that these changes can make a ‘big difference’ to his game and help him against rival players.

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“Serve,” answered Sinner. “I feel like that my serve is getting better. But I still feel like that we have some percentage we can aim to get better.

“Net game, as you said, trying to approach. Drop shots, you know, trying to also see on the other side of the net what’s going on, and yeah, just, you know, general mixing up the game.

“We are working very hard also, you know, in gym, physically, you know, we have to get ready, we have to be ready for every situation on the court, because everyone plays great, great tennis, and if you drop, if you don’t play 100%, but maybe you play 98%, this 2% can make a big, big difference. So, you know, it’s everything has to be quite perfect.”

Sinner’s first serve in particular was effective against Galan, as he won 96% of his points on it, but his second serve was more vulnerable with 62% points won.

While it was not something he did frequently in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open, Sinner also won both of his points when he came to the net.

Net play will be something that he will need at the US Open, when Sinner plays mixed doubles with Emma Navarro.

Jannik Sinner continues dominant record against players outside the top 20

Sinner has been the dominant world number one for over a year now, and currently has a 3,440 point lead over his closest rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Since winning his first Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Canadian Open, Sinner has only lost 13 matches since August 2023.

Five of those defeats have come against Alcaraz, but Sinner has been particularly dominant against lower ranked players.

Sinner’s latest win over Galan was his 73rd over a player ranked outside the top 20 since the 2023 Canadian Open.

The last time that he lost to a player outside the top 20 was at the Halle Open, where Alexander Bublik beat Sinner.

That was one of only two defeats Sinner has suffered to players ranked outside the top 20 in this period, with the other coming against Dusan Lajovic at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

This statistic does not fare well for Sinner’s next opponent, world number 35 Gabriel Diallo, who will look to cause a huge upset when they play for the first time on Monday, August 11.

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