Jannik Sinner has ‘complete’ game to reach top, but needs to work on one big flaw – Patrick Mouratoglou

Jannik Sinner in action

Jannik Sinner has the potential to be a top-five player on the ATP Tour, but he needs to handle the big matches and big moments better, according to esteemed coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

The Italian has enjoyed a fine start to the 2023 season as he won the Open Sud de France a fortnight ago and followed it up with a runners-up finish at the Rotterdam Open, defeating top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka before losing against Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Sinner has moved back up to No 12 in the ATP Rankings – still a few spots away from the career-best No 9 he achieved in November 2021.

Many, though, believe the 21-year-old will be one of the stars of the game and will eventually win a Grand Slam.

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Mouratoglou, who has coached the likes of Serena Williams and Simona Halep in the past, feels in order for Sinner to get to the very top, he needs to work on his big-match temperament when he faces the big-name players.

“If you look at Jannik’s game it’s quite complete. I don’t see a lot of weaknesses. Of course there is a margin for improvement in some strokes but I think the biggest improvement he can make is how he handles the big matches and how he handles the score,” the Frenchman, who is currently mentoring Dane Holger Rune, said in a video on Instagram.

“We have seen him being up and then being down in matches and struggling to come back [and] being able to find his tennis again against the top guys is probably one of the things he can make progress [on].

“For me his tennis is the tennis of a guy who is top 10 for sure or maybe even top 5. Maybe even better.

“But it is not only about the tennis, it’s also about the ability to perform on a regular basis, the ability to win big matches. These are steps that he will have to go through.

“He is young and he is making progress. For sure, he is going to have a good season, for sure he is going to keep progressing, he is one of the guys who can be dangerous and who can be potentially with two or three others at the top of the game in the future.”

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