Two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is accustomed to being in control from the baseline. His service games, buoyed by 2309 career aces and counting, are close to impenetrable.
So it’s logical, then, that the world No.2 spent much of the off-season addressing the one visible weakness in his toolkit – a lack of variety which has occasionally been exposed by his primary rival, six-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.
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“We worked a lot on trying to make the transition to the net,” Sinner said on Friday at Melbourne Park.
After a four-set loss to Alcaraz in last year’s US Open final, the Italian rued the predictable nature of his game and vowed to increase his repertoire.
“It’s going to be on me if I want to make chances or not,” he said in New York. “I didn't make one serve-volley, didn't use a lot of drop shots.
“I’m going to aim to … be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that's what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.”
Sinner revealed that he’s also made some changes to his serve.
“All small details, [but] when you are at the top level … the small details make the difference,” he said.
The tweaks Sinner is executing aren’t solely to elevate his ability to compete against Alcaraz. The four-time major champion was handed one of his six defeats last season by Alexander Bublik, whose variety of shots often put his opponents off-kilter.
“It's not only for one specific player … if you add something to your game, the aim is to get better as a tennis player,” Sinner said.
“It's not about beating one guy, it's more about feeling comfortable in every situation. That's what we tried to do in the off-season.”
In addition to ensuring his mental fortitude remains on point, the AO 2026 second seed dedicated hours to improving his fitness, knowing all too well that best-of-five-set matches can, and do, go the distance.
Sinner’s epic five-set thriller with Alcaraz in last year’s Roland Garros final spanned 5 hours and 29 minutes, 24 minutes shy of the record set by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the AO 2012 final.
“We worked a lot physically – the physical part now is so, so important because the matches, they can get very long but also very intense,” he said.
“The tennis now, it's very fast, [so] you have to be at the top physical level as long as you can.
“The season is very long, so you have to manage your body in the best possible way.”
As in years past, the 24-year-old is officially beginning his season in Melbourne, managing to squeeze in some skiing before making the journey Down Under, with a quick pit stop in South Korea for an exhibition against Alcaraz.
To get match ready and to familiarise himself with Melbourne Park’s conditions, Sinner will practise on Friday against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the seventh-seeded Canadian who took a set off him in their US Open semifinal.
Importantly, when Sinner tackles Hugo Gaston in opening round action and kicks off his campaign for a fifth major title, Darren Cahill will once again be in his coaches’ box.
The Australian floated 2025 as his last season working with Sinner, but decided to extend their partnership.
“He is very important, he's the man who has under control kind of everything – he’s our dad for the whole team,” smiled Sinner.
“He has this huge experience, he knows me now as not only as a player but also as a person now.
“It's good to have him, you feel in a very safe place.”
The Italian star also acknowledged a silver lining from serving a three-month doping ban last year, feeling the time away from tennis provided him with newfound perspective.
“I think everything happens for a reason – it got me even stronger as a person,” he said.
“The person I've become is much more mature in a way, because I see things when they're not going in the right direction different ways.
“I surrounded myself with really, really good people – I’m very happy with the people I have, so that for me is the most important.
“Whatever comes on court, result-wise, that's all an extra. I live the sport also in a very different way now, which is relaxed, but I give everything I have – it’s a balance of everything.”