Now for feats on clay, grass

A vast majority of Sinner's titles have come on hard courts but given his talent, adapting should not take him too long

- Rutvick Mehta [e-mail]

MUMBAI: Since the start of last year, Jannik Sinner has turned up for 64 matches on hard courts and walked out on the losing side just thrice. Two of those defeats have come against Carlos Alcaraz.

The last man to beat the Italian on hard courts in Grand Slams was Alexander Zverev, going back 21 matches and one-and-a-half years. The same player appeared rather clueless in stopping the Sinner steamroller, which has now ramped through three hard-court Majors, in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

Two stats and facts that not only highlight the world No.1's incredible efficiency on the most featured courts on the tour, but also his rapid evolution.

On current look and form, Sinner's hard-court dominance will take some stopping. What's also clear, however, is that he has some catching up to do on the other surfaces.

It's a lot like his fellow world No.1 on the women's tour - each of Aryna Sabalenka's three Slams have come on hard courts. It's also where his biggest rival on the men's tour has an edge - four-time Slam champion Alcaraz is a French Open, Wimbledon and US Open winner.

Flaunting a finer all-court game that blends into the varied demands of hard, clay and grass, the 21-year-old is a more complete player, even if not as consistently superior as his 23-year-old rival. That is what Sinner is after.

"For sure, it's one thing I think about," Sinner said after his triumph in Melbourne. "You have to be a complete player, not only on one surface but also on the other two.

"On hard courts I feel more comfortable, as you can see. But I take that as a positive," he added. "It's exactly that what I like; the difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully I can show that when the season arrives."