Jannik Sinner’s Racquet – Player Profile

Updated 18th September 2024

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about Jannik Sinner’s racquet. Is it a Speed MP? A pro? A new or an old model?

As you might know, many pros use a different model to what they endorse. It makes no sense for a tennis player to change his or her racquets every time a new model comes out. So the tennis brands paint them in the same paint job of the latest model, while it is really their old racquet underneath. You can read more about pro player racquets here. Jannik Sinner’s racquet is a HEAD Speed MP Auxetic according to the paint, but what is actually underneath is a customized HEAD TGT 301.4.

You can find the retail HEAD Speed MP 2024 version on Tennis Warehouse (USA), Tennis Warehouse Europe (use the code TNERD10 to get 10% off on any gear purchase) and Tennis Only (AU).

What does this pro stock code mean? It’s the code for a HEAD Graphene Touch Speed MP. Sinner has it customized to the following specs according to pro stock racquet guru dr325i from the TW forums. It was shared by prospectcustomization on their Instagram account.

Jannik Sinner’s Racquet Specs

Sinner has added weight to his TGT 301.4 to get it up to the following strung specs: 325g, 33.3 cm balance and 340 SW. That’s a pretty low static weight for a pro, but with some weight in the head to bring up the swing weight and get more power and stability.

Sinner uses a full bed of HEAD Hawk Touch at a pretty high tension around 28 kg or 61 lbs. It’s similar to what Stan Wawrinka uses and allows the player a lot of control on big swings. For club players, I would never recommend such a high tension unless you are using a multifilament string. A full bed of poly at a high tension can create arm issues.

If you want to find out more about racquets and strings and pro player setups, check out the Tennisnerd Guide to Racquets and Strings.

More on Sinner

Jannik Sinner’s journey into tennis was not a typical one, but it’s what makes the Italian such an interesting player to both watch and study. Italian tennis has produced some amazing players in the past, but it’s not a sport that has traditionally held much popularity in the country nor has a long history.  

By age 23, Sinner is arguably the greatest tennis player Italy has ever produced, which speaks volumes about how great he has been, but also about his competition, which hasn’t featured many legends.  

What makes Jannik Sinner so special will be broken down below, so keep reading to find out everything you need to know about this record-breaking Italian.  

Biography  

Jannik Sinner hails from a part of Italy that hasn’t always been part of Italy. For much of its history, what is now known as South Tyrol was part of the Austrian Empire, which is why Sinner and many of the people with whom he grew up are native German speakers.  

It’s a hugely important part of the equation that would shape him as a person, but also as a player and his legacy in Italian tennis. He didn’t pick up a tennis racquet first – no, he was handed skis because where he comes from, there is an abundance of snow.  

Sinner did occasionally play other sports like football and tennis, but focused on skiing the most. 

He became a nationally ranked skier and promising talent that was seen as the future of Italian skiing. However, at the age of 13, Sinner opted for tennis, drawn by the game’s competitive nature.  

In skiing, you’re all alone, but Sinner wanted that battle with other players. He also found tennis to be less dangerous than skiing, so tennis it was. His talent was clear early, and soon enough, he found himself moving to Liguria to train at the famous Piatti Tennis Academy.  

The rest would be history, as the Italian fell in love with the sport and never looked back. He progressed quickly through the ranks and began playing ITF events by 2016 when he was 15 years old.  

Jannik Sinner Professional Career Overview  

While you might think that Sinner’s career took off similarly to some other promising tennis players, it didn’t quite happen that way. Sinner did demonstrate huge potential early in his career, but his ascension to the top was a slow burn.  

In 2018, at age 17, Sinner turned professional, and by the time he was 17 years and six months, he won his maiden Challenger event in Bergamo. He was ranked 324th in the world at that time.  

Soon enough, he would find himself on the ATP Tour, scoring his first Tour-level win at the Italian Open, breaking into the top 200 a couple of weeks later. His Grand Slam debut came later that year at the US Open, where he lost to Stan Wawrinka in the first round.  

He finished the year becoming the youngest player in five years to make an ATP semi-final as well as winning the ATP Next Gen Finals. The following year, Sinner would win his maiden ATP final, breaking into the top 50. 

In 2021, he would win four trophies overall and make his maiden ATP 1000 final with a debut in the top 10. Sinner would expand his trophy cabinet with his maiden clay trophy in 2022, as well as making three quarter-finals at the majors. 

As you can see, it was a gradual process of the Italian simply becoming better and better, and scoring better and better results because of it.  

It is already hard to list off everything Sinner did, but the progression was clear. In 2023, he won his maiden ATP 1000 trophy, got his first win over Novak Djokovic, and led Italy to the Davis Cup trophy.  

That achievement, in particular, cemented his popularity in Italy. He was always something of an outsider in his career, hailing from South Tyrol, which is not a part of Italy that’s really associated with Italian culture.  

Many Italians view that part of Italy with some skepticism, and he wasn’t as popular as players from Rome like Matteo Berrettini. He would, however, emphasize how he viewed himself as Italian despite his unique background.  The Davis Cup triumph was the stamp of approval in the public eye which he needed, as his popularity exploded afterward.  

In 2024, things really took off for Sinner. After his strong end to the 2023 season, he began the year with a maiden Grand Slam title, winning the Australian Open in January. His success continued, as he won titles in Rotterdam, Miami, ascending to the world No 1 position.

There was no slowing down in the second half of the season, as Sinner navigated a hip injury that saw him miss the Olympics. Further titles came in Halle and Cincinnati, before a second Grand Slam crown most recently at the 2024 US Open.  

Jannik Sinner’s Biggest Achievements  

• World No 1 in the ATP rankings (first achieved June 2024).
• Two-time Grand Slam champion (2024 Australian Open and US Open).
• Youngest player to ever win an ATP 500 trophy.  
• Highest-ranked Italian in history and first-ever to win multiple Grand Slams.
• Led Italy to their second-ever Davis Cup trophy in 2023, the first since 1976.   
• Leads the list of Italians with the most ATP titles at 16, ahead of Matteo Berrettini who has 10.  

Playing Style and Tactical Approach of Jannik Sinner 

Jannik Sinner is well-known on the ATP Tour as an aggressive baseliner. He has always had this aggressive approach to tennis, preferring to control the outcome of points. It’s one of the reasons why he ditched skiing in favor of tennis, because he has full control in tennis.  

That has shaped his approach to the game, as he looks to end points quickly. He’s gotten more patient in recent years, opting to wait for the perfect chance, but he’s never given up on his attacking and aggressive baseline approach.  

Recent years have seen him add more elements to his game. His serve – once a weakness – has now been beefed up, while he also moves at an elite level. These, combined with his touch and willingness to come to the net, have him as more of an all-court player than a typical aggressive baseliner.

Sinner’s 2024 Doping Scandal

While 2024 was the year that saw Sinner reach new heights of greatness, it was also the most challenging year of his career for another reason.

In late August, it was revealed that Sinner had failed two drug tests in March 2024. The Italian has tested positive for the performance enhancing drug clostebol, a banned substance on the ATP Tour. 

Sinner was able to successfully fight the test result, however, proving that the positive result came because of a cream used by his masseuse for a cut, which found its way into Sinner’ blood stream via blisters on his feet. This meant that Sinner did not miss any action, and was declared innocent of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Association.

When this was made public, there was significant backlash. Some was directed at Sinner for use of performance enhancing drugs, but the large majority was over the way the case was handled. Criticism was leveled at the fact that other players received much longer provisional suspension, plus the way in which the case was kept secret.

Who is Jannik Sinner’s Coach?  

Sinner has had a couple of coaches over the years. He has most recently settled with the pairing of Simone Vagnozzi, who has been there for a long time, as well as Darren Cahill, who joined his team in 2023.

Vagnozzi is an Italian ex-player, who reached No 167 in the world and had no significant coaching experience prior to working with Sinner. Cahill is also an ex-player, but has much more experience as a coach, with the Australian having coach former No 1s Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic and Simona Halep.  

In September 2024, Sinner added two new trainers to his team, fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, and dismissed physio Giacomo Naldi and trainer Umberto Ferrara following the doping scandal.

Interesting Facts About Jannik Sinner  

• Sinner left his home at an early age and never returned to his hometown of South Tyrol, relocating to Monte Carlo soon after turning professional.  
• He still enjoys skiing and credits the sport with allowing him to be as flexible as he is on the tennis court, capable of hitting some incredible shots from all sorts of tricky angles.  
• Sinner prefers the simple and quiet life and doesn’t drink, but he loves his Gucci. He was even allowed to bring a special Gucci bag onto the Centre Court of Wimbledon in a ‘bending of rules’ in 2024.  
• He is in a relationship with fellow player Anna Kalinskaya, who he kissed in the crowd after winning the 2024 US Open.  

Social Media Presence and Fan Engagement  

Sinner does have social media, but he doesn’t spend much time on it and isn’t a very active user. Sinner’s instagram account has 2.8M followers. Most of his posts are related to tennis or brand deals such as Gucci, for whom he has been an ambassador. His social media is likely managed by a team of professionals, as he’s rarely spotted using his phone.