By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday April 2, 2023

Jannik Sinner fell short on Sunday against Daniil Medvedev, the Italian running out of ideas - and energy - against the hottest hard court player in the land. But there’s no shame in that, says Sinner. The Italian couldn’t turn around his lopsided head-to-head against Medvedev (it now stands at 0-6), but Sinner still sees positives despite the prevailing Medvedevian headwinds that blow in his direction.



“I has been a very positive month for me,” he said on Sunday after falling 7-5, 6-3. “Obviously disappointed about today. I woke up not in the best possible way. I felt a little bit sick, but we tried to go on the court, trying to give it a shot, give it a try.

“Unfortunately today was not my day. But still, I don't want to take anything away from Daniil. He was serving incredible. He was very brave with the way he played today. Obviously is one of the best players in the world. I tried. Today was not my day. Now it's clay season…”

Sinner Lacked the Energy on Sunday

After his thrilling triumph over Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, Sinner didn’t have the same energy on Sunday against Medvedev, and he elaborated on that after the match.

“When the rallies were long today, I was struggling the point or two points after,” he said. “I don't want to take away anything [from Daniil]. I tried. We went out of the court and we believed, because if you step on the court, you have to believe.”

Sinner will take some valuable lessons from Miami, and even though he continues to come up empty against Medvedev, he seems to feel he made strides on Sunday.

"As I said, he played well today,” he said. “He served well. I haven't had many chances on the returning games. I think also today we learned a lot for the next match. He is for me one of the toughest opponents, for sure. The head-to-head says it. Let's see in the next match.

“It's always going to be a tough challenge for me to play against him, for sure. I feel like I'm getting closer and closer. Even today I felt like the chances were there, so that's the good thing and the positive thing.”

Sinner isn’t about to let the matchup sap his confidence. He’s aware of the challenge that Medvedev presents to him and he feels like cracking the Russian’s code will help make him a better player. As a 21-year-old who is still very much evolving his game, it could be the perfect challenge for him to tackle.

“Every player has this one or two players where you don't feel that comfortable with,” he said. ‘He's for sure one of mine. I mean, he's also one of the best players in the world, no? For sure I have to improve to beat him, like all the other players, they try to improve.

"It's gonna be a good challenge for me, a challenge what I am always looking forward to play against him.”