Jannik Sinner And The Evolution Of The Drop Shot

There is not a lot that Jannik Sinner can’t do on a tennis court. After all, you don’t get to World #1, win two Australian Opens, Wimbledon, win the US Open, come within a point of winning the French Open while dominating most matches, playing a baseline game rarely ever seen and leaving a track of records in your wake without having a foolproof game. However, if you are named Jannik Sinner, that is still not enough; there’s always something to improve upon. And so you go about doing just that.

That was exactly what happened following his failure to defend both his US Open and Australian Open titles; he set about remodeling his game. That decision was arguably not made with the rest of the Tour in mind because, in truth, his game, as it already was, seemed insurmountable for the rest of the Tour. That decision was made with one man, and one man in mind only: Carlos Alcaraz. The one man, it seems, who is the only one capable of standing in his way as he sets about collecting titles and records. A glance through his records and achievements shows that he has yet to win Roland Garros or any major title on clay, for that matter. The clay courts arguably require more from players to be successful, not just in terms of physicality but also in the array of shots and skill set required. This is why Alcaraz is easily the best on the surface currently. He is a physical beast blessed with a range of shots, which is very rarely seen in the sport.

The Evolution of The Sinner Drop Shot

It is exactly why Sinner believes that to become a real contender for the red dirt’s most coveted prizes, he needs to add more variety to his game. And he’s done exactly that. This week in particular, he has employed the drop shot–a shot that is highly effective on clay–a lot. His execution of that shot all week has been really impressive. While he has always been capable of playing the shot, it was never a tenet of his game. However, this week, especially in his quarter- and semi-final matches, he employed that particular shot to devastating effect, leaving his opponents utterly bamboozled and winning many easy points. His use of that one shot has been so impressive that even Alcaraz, this week, was left describing his rivals‘ use of it as feeling very natural and has become a real weapon for the Italian. https://x.com/TennisTV/status/2042966131581853948?t=ol2By4c3BMY8rIR7HPjA7A&s=19

On Saturday, in what was his third straight Masters semi-final victory against Zverev in as many matches, his application of the drop shot was mesmerising. It was especially effective against the German who prefers to hang way back at the back of the court, particularly when receiving serve. He is not only using the drop shot to leave opponents rushing to the net, only to grasp at straws. He has also used the illusion of playing the drop shot – the fake drop shot- to deceive opponents, drawing them to the net, then hitting winners into the open court they’ve left behind.