Miami Open: Jannik Sinner wins title to keep pressure on Carlos Alcaraz in world rankings

When Sinner lost to his Spanish opponent in the US Open final in September, he spoke candidly about the need to bring more variety and unpredictability to the field.

But since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals and then Jakub Mensik in Doha, Sinner’s success has been down to the increasing reliability of his service game.

The metronomic precision of the opening kick set the stage for the Miami victory.

Achieving 70 aces in six matches was a career-high in a three-set tournament. He dropped his service game only once.

Sinner won 92% of first serve points against Lehecka. How he survived his only moment of real danger underlined the effectiveness of his serve.

Leading 2-1 in the first set, trailing 0-40 and facing three break points, Sinner made excellent first serves with 5 inches that Lehecka could barely use.

It was reminiscent of Roger Federer at his best, relieving pressure and deflating opponents by helping them get out of trouble.

No wonder some claim that Sinner has entered the ‘servebot’ era.

But that’s not the only area where he wants to make improvements.

Sinner has been described by Miami’s quarter-final opponent Frances Tiafoe as “one of the best ball-strikers the game has ever seen” – but she is still looking to add aggression with her forehand.

This may seem ridiculous considering the power and precision Sinner already has from that wing.

Sinner twice sent the Czech’s first serves with cross-court forehands as she tried to secure the opening set against Lehecka.

This was evidence of Sinner’s desire to put his foot down at the right time and sent a clear message to his rivals.

“The guy has zero weaknesses; that’s why he won so much,” said 2013 Wimbledon women’s champion Marion Bartoli, who analyzed the final for Sky Sports.