Jannik Sinner completed a historic Sunshine Double on Sunday, defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4 in the Miami Open final to become the first man to win both Indian Wells and Miami without dropping a set. The Italian, who also won his third consecutive Masters title, joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only players to achieve that feat.
Sinner's run comes after a disappointing Australian Open semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic and a defeat in Doha. The 24-year-old admitted to a 'small down' but used the Sunshine Double to reset. With no points to defend from last season due to his doping suspension, Sinner closed the gap on World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
Key to Sinner's success has been improvements to his serve, which he described as requiring 'trust and belief' from his coaching team. 'I want to finish my career saying I did everything possible to be the best possible version of myself,' Sinner said. 'If I serve the same way I did a couple of years ago, maybe I would not win.'
Sinner showed resilience in Miami, winning tight tiebreaks against Alexander Zverev and Alex Michelsen, and dominating early breaks against Frances Tiafoe and Lehecka. Tiafoe noted, 'He's a great front runner.'
Looking ahead to the clay season, Sinner has no points to defend until Rome, putting him in a strong position to challenge Alcaraz, who has 2,390 more points to defend through Roland Garros. 'Now we go to clay, and we all know how strong he is there,' Sinner said. 'Let’s see what’s coming.'
