Annual report Jannik Sinner 2022: too many chances missed - satisfactory
Jannik Sinner celebrated a tournament victory in the 2022 season and established himself among the extended world elite. But much more would have been possible.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Dec 13, 2022, 09:50 am
First of all, nobody has forgotten that Jannik Sinner is still only 21 years old. And that the South Tyrolean took a radical career step before the start of the 2022 season by separating from mentor and long-term coach Riccardo Piatti. This act of further development made the tennis circus sit up and take notice, even if Sinner has had a man at his side in Simone Vagnozzi since then, who as a coach also knows what he is doing.
And it speaks for Sinner that he also brought in external reinforcements in the person of Darren Cahill over the course of the year. Which almost led to great success, especially in the Grand Slam tournaments. But only almost. And - Jannik Sinner hasn't just had this problem since this year - the body often goes on strike, as was also shown at the end of the season, when Sinner had to pull out against Holger Rune in Sofia, for example, and in Vienna in the quarter-finals against Daniil Medvedev was just as chanceless as in round one of Paris-Bercy against Marc-Andrea Huesler. And worst of all: Sinner could not take part in the final tournament of the Davis Cup in Málaga with Italy.
But first of all the positive facts of the tennis year 2022:
- Another title came in Umag, where Sinner won 6-1 and 6-1 in the final against Carlos Alcaraz after losing the first set. The Italian holds a total of six. In 2021, however, Sinner was still allowed to lift four trophies.
- The end of the year in 15th position is just as respectable as the match record of 47:16.
- And three quarter-final participations in Grand Slam tournaments are also impressive.
However …
- Especially in Wimbledon and at the US Open, Sinner missed chances - in each case against the eventual champion. In London he led 2-0 sets against Novak Djokovic and 2-1 against Carlos Alcaraz in New York. Sinner had no chance in Melbourne against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
- The final won in Umag was actually the only one that Jannik Sinner was able to achieve this season.
- The record against top ten players shows three wins (twice against Alcaraz, once against Andrey Rublev) and nine defeats.
- Sinner clearly missed the desired qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin.
What does that mean for 2023? Jannik Sinner noticeably improved his game in the past season, the stop was used with a frequency that was almost too generous from time to time. But through the influence of Darren Cahill, Sinner also seems to be pursuing a more offensive approach, often shortening rallies with net attacks. Our forecast: in 2023 we will be closer to the top ten again, maybe even to the top five.
All in all, however, the rating for the past year remains satisfactory.