Jannik Sinner details one shot he ‘needs to improve’ during Australian Open | campaign ATP Tour

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The offender details the shot he ‘needs to improve’ during the Australian Open campaign

World No. 2 believes that his performance still has untapped potential

January 20, 2026

Even though you are the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and a two-time defending Australian Open champion, there is always room for improvement. Just ask Jannik Sinner.

The 24-year-old advanced to the second round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday when Hugo Gaston retired Sinner leading 6-2, 6-1 after 68 minutes. After the game, Sinner offered insight into the technical tweaks he’s been making to his career late last season and throughout the offseason. It is a stroke that he believes still holds untapped potential.

“It’s not the only one [since] the US Open,” Sinner said when asked about the timestamp of the service move change. It’s the only shot we have where we can do everything by ourselves. There’s a lot of room for improvement.

“We changed a little bit the movement, the rhythm of the feed. Before it was too fast at first. Now it’s slower. The toss was usually a little bit forward, to the right. Now it’s back and over the head.”

That improvement comes despite Sinner finishing 2025 as the Serve Leader, according to Infosys ATP Stats, which assesses a player’s dominance by metrics such as first match points won, serve efficiency and aces. It’s a powerhouse that has underpinned his six-title season, highlighted by his second straight Nitto ATP Finals crown.

Yet for the Italian, the limited gains in performance could prove to be strong as he looks to sustain his dominance and pursue a long-term goal of regaining the World No. 1 spot from rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Sometimes I’m still defeated by it [the toss]. It’s not the gun where I feel the most secure,” continued Sinner, “But at the same time we’re working on that. It is one of the most important images that we have because we can offer you many good things. Let’s see how I will perform this season.”

Aside from the technical elements, Sinner continues to invest in the mental side of his game, maintaining a close working relationship with renowned mental coach Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli. They created a consistent dialogue meant to fine-tune the concept of Sinner at different stages of the season.

“We’re communicating and trying to understand and work on a few things again,” Sinner said of Ceccarelli. “I have my home kit with me, so whenever I need to work, whenever I feel like it, I can work with that.

“It’s slow with time: The way I feel and what mental statement I’m in. There’s definitely still room for improvement. I’ve been in constant contact with him. It’s good to have someone who’s stable and understands me now and better. Over time we understand each other better. I understand his way of working. We’re trying to work on that.”

Soni is aiming to become just the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, following Novak Djokovic, who achieved the feat in 2011-13 and again from 2019-21. Next up for the Italians in Melbourne is Australian wild card James Duckworth, Sinner leading 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.