Jannik Sinner has had an amazing year so far, and it's certainly far from what he expected, but obviously, he'll take it because it's the best start that he ever had.
The Italian never started his season the way he did this year; in fact, very few people ever have. The start of the season he's having is one of the best ever, especially if he beats Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open final, entering April with only one loss.
The off-season was a bit strange for Sinner as he wasn't quite happy with the way it went. He certainly didn't expect things to go so well for him on the court, and it's gone really well.
He won the Australian Open quite convincingly, and it all kind of snowballed from there. Another trophy came in Rotterdam, and he's now looking to add a third one at the Miami Open.
He's 21-1 on the ATP Tour and 23-1 overall if we add the Kooyong Exhibition. That's amazing, and it's far better than he expected before the season began.
"I am surprised, for sure. I mean, it's something I was not expecting, for sure. But, you know, it also shows that I take everything day by day, and that's what's happening, it's happening. You cannot really control everything. You just can control the emotions, the will to improve day by day, and that's it."
Sinner was always focused on the bigger picture. His tennis approach has always been about getting better as a player, with the idea that enough improvement will yield results over time.
It seems like the time to reap the rewards has come now, as he's been better than the rest this year, and it's not even that close. That makes him happy, of course.
"For sure I'm really happy about the season I'm playing in. Who would not be happy? But in the other way, I know that the players, they get to know me more. They study me so I have to be ready."