Jannik Sinner admitted he had to skip watching the Chinese Grand Prix to secure his Indian Wells title. The world number two defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to complete the set of hard court tournaments, emulating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The 24-year-old Italian revealed he had to resist staying up late to watch the Formula One race in Shanghai, as it would have affected his tennis. Sinner said: 'I wanted to watch the Formula One but it was midnight. I'm not capable of going to sleep very late and playing tennis the next day so very good discipline. Congrats Kimi (Antonelli).'
Sinner required tiebreaks to overcome Medvedev, and in the match-winning set he had to shake off fatigue. He added: 'I tried to shake it off and after I was loose again. I held back a little bit so that's a point I would like to improve.'
The Italian had previously won the Australian Open and US Open, as well as all six Masters 1,000 titles, before adding Indian Wells to his collection. He did not drop a set en route to glory, defeating Learner Tien and Alexander Zverev in the semi-final.
Sinner said: 'It was a tough tournament. In my mind I knew this was the only hardcourt tournament of the big ones that I haven't won so I'm very happy how I handled it.' He also praised Medvedev: 'Seeing Daniil playing at this level is important for tennis. Tennis needs him.'
