"Talent does not exist for me... the one who works is the one who has talent" - Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner has expressed his belief that talent has to be earned, arguing a good work ethic counts for more than having "slightly better skills." The Italian also revealed that knowing he gave 100% after his career is over is more significant than winning tournaments.
Sinner finished the 2021 season ranked 10th in the ATP rankings, having reached a career-high of World No. 9 in November.
The 20-year-old has claimed four ATP titles this year, as well as finishing runner-up at the Miami Open. Sinner also made his debut at the ATP Finals as an alternate in Turin last month.
In an interview with Intesa Sanpaolo uploaded and translated by JannikSinner_Updates, Sinner asserted his view that hard work and talent go together.
“Talent does not exist for me, one has to earn it,” Sinner said. “You can have slightly better skills, but if you work you’ll go higher. The one who works is the one who has talent."
The Italian also revealed how he deals with doubts and the value of seeing defeat as an opportunity to improve.
"I think in all things there are doubts, not just in tennis," Sinner continued. "There are moments where you ask yourself questions,'Why did you miss this shot?' But I know that the next day, you have another opportunity to improve. And I wake up with that mentality so I don't waste too much energy on defeat, because it's wasted energy."
"My dream that I really want to reach is that, when I finish my career, is to say I gave 100%" - Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner discussed how all aspects related to tennis performance can be worked on, while highlighting that mentality is particularly vital to success.
“I’ve realized you can train every single thing: physically, technically, and most of all mentally," Sinner said. "In tennis you have to be very strong mentally in every moment of the match. And that in the end makes you win good matches, even if you play bad matches.”
The World No. 10 concluded that when his career ends, the most important thing to him will be that he gave a 100 percent, even more important than winning tournaments.
"My dream is obviously to win a lot of tournaments, but my dream that I really want to reach is that, when I finish my career, is to say I gave 100%," Sinner added.