Jannik Sinner reveals the unusual treat he gives himself after a tournament win
Jannik Sinner is the stand-out player in tennis in 2024 and he has revealed an unusual habit he has adopted after he wins a big tournament.
Sinner has had a stellar year so far, as he backed up victory in the Davis Cup with Italy last November by winning the Australian Open in January and then winning titles in Rotterdam and Miami to confirm his rise to world No 2.
He has a great chance to overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP Rankings over the next few months and if he achieves that goal, he is likely to be eating a few meals that may not be regular entries on the diets of elite athletes.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the 22-year-old Italian was asked whether he treats himself to anything special after a big win and he offered up this unexpected answer: “A hamburger. I have this thing that when we have a good week we always eat a hamburger.”
“Honestly, the one in Australia was really good. In America there are some good places too – in Cincinnati, Firebirds has a really good hamburger.”
Sinner will look to build momentum on clay courts of Madrid in the build-up to the French Open and in an interview with the Tennis Channel, he revealed his last trip to Roland Garros was a key moment in his explosion of form in the last year.
He lost in the second round of the French Open against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, with Sinner suggesting his lack of consistency in that match focused his mind on what is required to be a champion.
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“Day by day you try to get better. When you go to sleep you want to say, okay I have improved,” he told the Madrid Open podcast.
“You can win titles, but most importantly I see myself one year ago and now and I want to see a different player.
“To reach this level, you have to lose sometimes. When you lose, you can see where you need to improve and you have to improve it.
“Some matches when I was really close and I lost. Then you realise what you have done wrong.
“The close ones you win, you don’t really understand, but you lose and you can see.
“To reach this level, you have to lose sometimes. When you lose, you can see where you need to improve and you have to improve it.
“Some matches when I was really close and I lost. Then you realise what you have done wrong.
“The close ones you win, you don’t really understand, but you lose and you can see.
“If I had won playing this way, I would not have noticed, so I take this as a positive.
“I also had other very tough losses… at the US Open having match points against Carlos and also last year against Sascha (Alexander Zverev at the US Open), but you have to learn from that.”
Sinner is maturing on and off the court and if he can improve on the form he has shown so fat this year, he will be a man to watch in a tennis summer that will include an Olympic Games on the Roland Garros clay courts.
