Sinner: 'I'm Getting Closer & Closer'

Defeated but not dejected, Jannik Sinner was keen to focus on the bigger picture following his straight-sets loss against Daniil Medvedev in the Miami Open presented by Itau title match on Sunday.

The Italian advanced to the semi-finals at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells and backed up that run by reaching his third final of the year in Miami. He leaves South Florida holding a 9-2 record across the ‘Sunshine Double’.

“It's always going to be a tough, tough challenge for me to play against [Medvedev]. But I feel like I'm getting closer and closer,” Sinner said. “Even today I felt like that the chances are there, so that's the good thing and the positive thing.

“The good thing is that after Indian Wells compared to here I have improved. I felt better on court. That's the most important,” Sinner later added.

Sinner is up two spots to No. 9 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following a series of impressive results in South Florida. The 21-year-old defeated Top 10 star Andrey Rublev in the fourth round before he overcame top seed Carlos Alcaraz in an epic three-set semi-final battle.

The 10th seed struggled physically at times during the match against Medvedev. He revealed that while his three-hour, one-minute win against Alcaraz had given him confidence, he felt the physical and mental effects during the final.

“It takes a bit [out of you] because that was a match [against Alcaraz] I was very looking forward to,” said Sinner. “I was preparing a lot. In the other way, when you step off court, you feel also confident. Because winning against Carlos, it was a very, very good win.”

Most Tour-Level Wins In 2023

Sinner now trails Medvedev 0-6 in their ATP Head2Head series. The 21-year-old is eager to learn from his latest defeat as he targets further improvement during the clay swing.

“Every player has one or two players where you don't feel that comfortable with. He's for sure one of mine,” Sinner said when asked about Medvedev. “He's also one of the best players in the world. But still, I have to improve to beat him. Like all the other players they try to improve, and then we see in the future how it goes. But it's going to be a good challenge for me.”

Sinner now holds a 7-3 record in tour-level finals, having lost to Hubert Hurkacz in his only other ATP Masters 1000 title match in 2021.