Jannik Sinner's level up plan: adding more muscle and honing his serve

HIGHLIGHTS: Sinner tops Rublev to reach Monte Carlo quarters

Jannik Sinner is 20 years old and already cracked the Top 10 at the end of the 2021 season. But like any elite athlete, is still aiming to add improvements to his game.

"I need to put on some muscle," the lanky Italian told Italian newspaper La Stampa.

It doesn't stop there. Though he possesses big power from the back of the court, Sinner points to his serving as "the shot I have to work on" and says he's hitting it better this season.

"Against Pablo Carreno Busta in Miami I hit 15 aces, and it had never happened to me," he said. "But there are other things—the touch of the ball, the backhand slice and dropshot. You have to practice, you can't play them only in a match, even if they will never be my strong point."

In his bid to keep getting better, Sinner changed his team following the Australian Open, including splitting with his first coach Riccardo Piatti and adding Simone Vagnozzi.

He reached back-to-back quarterfinals at Miami and Monte Carlo before withdrawing from Barcelona with a foot blister. Currently ranked No. 12, he's looking forward to competing on home soil in two weeks, where he will be one of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia seeds for the first time.

"Playing in Rome is my absolute favorite thing. Playing at home puts a little more pressure on you," said Sinner. "On the other hand, when they call your name it's a fantastic feeling. And the crowd can really lift you up."

Prior to Rome, he is scheduled to play Madrid if he has physically recovered.