Jannik Sinner has been unstoppable this season. With 22 wins, 1 loss and 3 titles in 2024 - including his first Grand Slam in his career, the Australian Open, he is in a form where tennis history has few better players.
Sinner's strength on hard courts is undeniable at the moment, but now it is time for the Italian to test himself in another "fight" - clay in Europe.
Some ATP 250 tournaments have started, but the biggest events are about to arrive. And for Sinner, the big question is whether he can continue to shine on clay or not?
Schedule
According to the schedule, Sinner will participate in the most prestigious awards of this stage. The world No. 2 is preparing for Monte Carlo next week - his first Masters 1000 on clay and one of the most coveted titles.
Then there will be two other Masters 1000 tournaments - Madrid Open and Italian Open - before coming to Roland Garros for the second Grand Slam of the 2024 season.
It can be said that Roland Garros is the "saint" of Rafael Nadal - the 37-year-old tennis player is also trying not to miss the opportunity to participate, but Sinner will definitely keep an eye on him.
But the pressure will follow Sinner through all these events, after he has risen to the position of one of the top players.
Against Roland Garros, he will have to become the main star at the event in Rome. As the highest-ranked Italian player in singles history, every eye will be on whether he can end a 48-year wait for the men's singles championship at home.
Poor results
There will be many concerns for Sinner on clay, although this is the 22-year-old tennis player's breakthrough at Grand Slams, when in 2020, he reached the quarter-finals of Roland Garros.
Compared to the hard court, Sinner's success at clay is limited.
Statistics show that, out of 13 titles he has won, he has only won once on this field - beating Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP 250 in Umag 2 years ago. That was Sinner's only final on clay.
And if his winning rate on all pitches is nearly 75%, the rate on clay courts alone is 68.3%.
Not necessarily a disaster, but it is enough to say that he has not found the best on this field, with the proof being what happened last year.
After a good start to the Monte Carlo, Sinner reached the semi-finals against Holger Rune and lost 6-1, 5-7, 5-7.
Sinner then withdrew from the Barcelona Open after just two games and also withdrew from the Madrid tournament before being defeated by Francisco Cerundolo in the round of 16 in Rome.
That was led by one of the most disappointing defeats of his career - losing to Daniel altmeier after five sets in the second round of Roland Garros, a match in which he had a number of match-points in hand.
Challenges ahead
It is undeniable that Sinner has made a leap forward compared to 12 months ago, but this clay court season will be an important way to observe how far he has improved.
He will face Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, both of whom have more experience on clay.
Like Alcaraz, 2 years younger than Sinner, the Spaniard has 7 clay and soil titles and reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros last season.
In the next few months, in addition to the opponents on the pitch, Sinner will have to overcome another "opponent", right at his feet.
