Jannik Sinner’s game‑changer: The single skill separating him from the pack

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Jannik Sinner’s game‑changer: The single skill separating him from the pack

Originally posted on HITC | By Peter Lynch | Last updated May 7, 2026 2:53 PM ET

Jannik Sinner is hoping to maintain his incredible run of form at the Italian Open, where he enters as the top seed.

Sinner is coming off a run of five straight ATP Masters 1000 wins, with his latest title coming in Madrid. He also has victories this season in Monte Carlo, Indian Wells and Miami.

Sinner was in good shape during his fourth-round match against Denis Shapovalov. After taking the first set, he looked sharp before rain suspended play on Wednesday night.

The Canadian pushed Sinner hard on Thursday, forcing a deciding set before the Italian eventually pulled through. Wawrinka had a close look at him before his own match against Stefanos Tsitsipas was halted by rain as well.

Sinner has already cemented himself as one of the best ball strikers in tennis and an aggressive shotmaker from both wings.

But what sets him apart now is how well he’s defending and countering, something that stood out even more when play resumed after heavy rain delays between Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images

Jannik Sinner’s serve now looks stronger than ever

And one area where that is already massively paying off is his serve, which came under fire at last year’s US Open.

Sinner’s serve was heavily criticised after he lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz, finishing with a first-serve figure of just 48%.

Since then, he has worked on his rhythm and toss, and now leads the entire ATP Tour in serve rating with a mark of 300.4.

While his first-serve percentage still has room for growth at 63.4%, ranking him 39th, he sits at the very top in first-serve points won at 79.8%.

The same goes for his second-serve points won figure of 58.9%, and he also boasts an impressive service games won rate of 92.5%.

Serena Williams’ former coach backs Jannik Sinner to win the French Open

Sinner, currently the world number one, will again be without his usual coach for a fifth straight tournament due to Simone Vagnozzi’s suspension, which he picked up at the start of the season.

Despite that, Sinner has performed extremely well on clay so far, and Rick Macci, once Serena Williams’ coach, expects that to continue.

Writing on X in his typical style, Macci said: “Beating Sinner at the French Open IMPOSSIBLE unless he gets injured or sick.

“3 out of 5 and he mentally gets you in a vice and you cannot think twice. His patterns and milliseconds on the red dirt makes more shots squirt and gives him more time to hit on a dime.

“On clay opponents do not get free lunches in bunches on serve and they feel even more nerve. The Flamethrower will be the last man standing in France and enjoying another Grand Slam dance.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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