Jannik Sinner Rues Losing “Big Opportunity” to Win Miami Open 2021 in Absence of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

Fallen Miami finalist Jannik Sinner opened up on his loss on Sunday, saying he made some errors in crunch moments which proved costly in the end.

The rising Italian star, who rose to 23rd in the rankings by virtue of his runners-up finish, said that he came into the event in the hope of going deep.

He said that with a clutch of top stars, including the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – missing from the main draw, it was a gilt-edged opportunity for the next lot of stars to step up and gun for glory.

Jannik Sinner says he came into the Miami Open wanting to win in absence of the Big 3

Speaking to the press after going down 6-7 (4-7), 4-6 to Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the championship clash, Sinner said that with the top rivals out of the fray, the likes of himself who weren’t firm title contenders going into the event, played with an additional burst of motivation to win the championship.

The Italian said that he came into the event with the “mentality to win,” adding, “We knew Rafa, Roger, Novak, Thiem were not playing. I think it was a big opportunity for many players.”

He added that while his aggressive tactics and ploy to push his opponents back worked in previous matches, he couldn’t bring his best to the fore in the one that mattered the most. “Somehow, I managed to win every match. Today not,” said the 19-year-old.

Sinner says he made a couple of mistakes in crunch moments which proved costly in the Miami final

Sinner added that it was too early to critically assess his performance in the tournament final, as he was yet to process his defeat. “I finished half-an-hour ago, so it’s tough now to speak about the match because I don’t have (a) clear mind now,” the World Number. 23 said.

However, he did add that there were moments in the game where he could have attacked the net more instead of dictating play from the baseline.

“What I think is that from the baseline, I was deciding what to do,” Sinner said, adding that he “made a couple of mistakes in important moments.”

It came down to margins eventually, as there wasn’t much to separate the two finalists for the better part of the match.

Read More: “Little Bit Different”: Jannik Sinner on Playing Without Federer, Nadal and Djokovic and Thiem at Miami Open 2021