Jannik Sinner has played down his expectations of a title at this week’s Monte Carlo Masters as he is aware of his struggles on the red dirt.
The Italian said that he will use the event as a practice week while declaring he is confident to find success on the surface. Sinner is looking to make a smooth transition from the fast hard courts on which he played over the past 6 months to terre battue that is always full of surprises.
12 of Sinner’s 13 ATP titles have come on the hard courts while his only clay success dates back to 2022 Croatian Open in Umag. The World No. 2 is considering the fact that he doesn’t have much time to find his feet on clay ahead of the first clay Masters 1000 of the season in Principality.
Sinner is coming on the back of a Miami Open victory that he claimed at the end of March and has performed well in Monaco in the past two years as he reached the semifinals in 2023 and quarters in 2022.
Speaking in his pre-tournament presser, the 2024 Australian Open champion asserted that he is not expecting too much from himself in Monte Carlo while setting up his two major clay court goals of the season.
“The expectations are not that high for this for this beginning of clay. The goal is to be ready for Roland Garros and then hopefully Olympics. This is, I guess for all all the players the goal, to try to be in top form there,” he said.
“We will take this this week as a practice week, playing with matches hopefully, hopefully more than one match but you know, it’s it’s gonna be interesting to see. I’m just happy to be here. It’s a special tournament and hopefully I can perform in a good way.
“I said struggling because it’s not the surface where I feel that comfortable in general. I feel more comfortable on hard courts, which doesn’t mean that I that I’m not a good player on clay. I played my first Grand Slam quarter-finals on clay, at Roland-Garros, I made quarters in Rome.
“So let’s see. Talking about last year, was not my best season-long clay. Hopefully I can change it this year. But you know, I’m confident that I can be a good player also on clay. It takes time for sure.
“I used to practice a lot on clay when I was 14 to 20. But then after most of the tournaments, they were hardcourt tournaments. So you play a little bit less but you know, I’m very excited to be here. I think if you make the clay with a good friendship, it can help.”
The 22-year-old Italian also discussed his way of dealing with the pressure that comes with the success.
“The mental side is the only thing you can control throughout the match or throughout your general life off court,” Sinner said.
“But you also have to understand what’s happening. It’s easy to say, but then when you are in a very tough situation it’s it’s not easy sometimes.
“I try to control my mind and my head in in a way which which is helping me on court. So this for sure helped me, playing point by point, taking day by day, there is pressure but it’s a good kind of pressure and I’m very happy to be in this position and living also a normal life.
“I mean when I when I go off court and when I go out of the gym and I go home I’m a normal person and that for me is the most important. There is the work and and also the passion which I chose to do but then it’s also their their normal life. We are all normal people.”
Sinner will face the winner of Sebastian Korda vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for his opener in Monte Carlo.