Sinner achieves best quality indices in forehand and backhand on the ATP Tour | ATP Tour

Insights

Sinner achieves the best quality rates in forehand and backhand on the ATP Tour

The Italian is the leader in four key statistics this season

September 11, 2024

The sound is thunderous, yet crisp and precise. And though each strike is flawlessly delivered, it carries a lethal force that overwhelms opponents.

Regardless of the side, Jannik Sinner is dominating the ATP Tour this season from the baseline. The longer the rallies, the harder he hits the ball, without losing consistency.

The Italian’s intimidating yet technically impeccable groundstrokes have put him in a rare position: first place in both forehand quality (8.8) and backhand quality (8.48), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in association with TennisViz. It makes sense that Sinner is the clear leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with 9,000 ranking points – 2,885 more than second-placed Alexander Zverev.

The Champ @usopen 🎾👑@janniksin is dominating the Race to Turin leaderboard with an impressive 9⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣points🔥

Take a look at his standout #Insights numbers for the 2024 season so far👇#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/S0R5xGHhIB

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 9, 2024

The world number one, who also leads in return quality (8.04), is hitting his forehand at an average speed of 78 mph this season, five mph faster than the Tour average. It’s a similar story with his two-handed backhand, which the 23-year-old hits on average at 73 mph, compared to the Tour average of 66 mph.

Sinner makes it even more difficult by hitting both groundstrokes with a flatter trajectory. Compared to the rest of the field, Sinner’s forehand registers two centimeters lower over the net and his backhand five centimeters lower.

Given his dominance from the baseline, it’s no surprise that Sinner tops the leaderboard in another key category: conversion. When in an attacking position on the point, the two-time Grand Slam champion wins a Tour-leading 73 percent of points.

But Sinner, who also leads the Return Shot Quality Index, is also one of the best performers when playing defense. When the U.S. Open champion is pushed beyond the baseline, perhaps forced to hit an open-position backhand, Sinner is still very much on the point. In fact, he may be the favorite to fight his way back onto the court and hit a winner. Sinner is 10th in the Steal metric, winning 37.5 percent of points during which he found himself playing defense at some point in the point.

Sinner’s coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi have seen first-hand how their pupil’s transition game has improved, and the insights from Tennis Data Innovations are evidence of the team’s hard work.

“I think Simone has done an amazing job over the last few years, working on the flaws in the game [de Jannik]“both in transition from defense and power from the corners,” Cahill told ESPN after Sinner won at Flushing Meadows.

“But also coming back and taking the point and going on the offensive. Simone has been an incredible coach. He’s done a great job over the last two and a half, three years. And it’s been an absolute honor to work with him and see how he’s been able to evolve Jannik’s game.”

Jannik Sinner in 2024:
Forehand speed = 78 mph (Tour average = 73 mph)
Backhand speed = 73 mph (Tour average = 66 mph)
Forehand topspin = 3049 rpm (Tour average = 2708 rpm)
Backhand topspin = 2235 rpm (Tour average = 1977 rpm)