"I don't care about ranking, honestly" - Jannik Sinner
Teenage sensation Jannik Sinner progressed to his maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal on Tuesday, beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-2 at the Miami Open. After his win, Sinner spoke with the media on a range of topics - including the effect of the revised ranking system on his position as well as his dietary plans.
Jannik Sinner has witnessed a meteoric rise in the rankings over the past couple of years, climbing around 500 spots to get to No. 31. However, ATP's pandemic-enforced ranking system has made it tough for Sinner to break into the top 20; the Italian would have been as high as No. 13 if the old system was still in place right now.
When asked for his thoughts on that, Jannik Sinner pointed out that the system has changed for every player on tour, benefitting some while proving to be a hindrance for others. The 19-year-old further stressed that for him, improving his game matters a lot more than rising up the ranking charts.
"I don't care about ranking, honestly," Sinner said. "You know, I think the system changed for everyone. So you know, some players could have been better, some players could have been worse. But as I said, I don't care about how about the ranking at the moment. I know my team, and myself know what I have to improve. And that's the most important part yet."
Jannik Sinner was then asked to shed some light on his food habits, given that he had recently spoken about starting a healthier diet.
Sinner revealed that the special diet would become a part of his routine only from the off-season. The Italian also claimed that following a healthy diet is part of a process that provides on-court results.
"No, we're starting from the offseason," Sinner said. "We have one nutritionist just maybe changing a little bit, especially, you know, when it's hot conditions, trying to eat better sometimes can help you. Definitely, if you're eating healthy, you're going to win matches, that's for sure. Not the (only) reason, but you know, it's a process.
Even though Sinner is not overly concerned about the elements of his diet, he revealed that he does make it a point to avoid eating large portions of easily available (ready-made, processed) food.
"Honestly, for me, it's not important so much of what I'm eating," the Italian continued. "I'm just trying to, when I have to eat carbohydrates or protein, just trying not to eat like in the biggest of (portions), or the easiest things. You know, it's very simple. It's not that if I'm going to eat dessert in the evening, I'm going to lose the match the day after."
I'm trying to play better and better: Jannik Sinner
Even though Jannik Sinner has scaled a big milestone by making the last-eight of a Masters event, the teenager has no intention of resting on his laurels. During his presser, Sinner expressed his desire to keep improving on a daily basis while taking it one match at a time.
"I'm not relaxing, I'm trying to play better and better, day after day trying to improve and always trying to try trying to understand what I could do better and mentioned match after match," Sinner said.