Four Grand Slam titles—that’s Jannik Sinner’s on-court legacy now. But have you ever wondered what goes on off the court for the 24-year-old before he starts a match? Well, let’s see what he just said.

“Usually, I always go to the same toilet. But it depends year by year because if I didn’t play well the year before, then I change,” Sinner said, detailing his pre-match ritual on his official YouTube channel.

Back in November last year, TennisTalker was present at the ‘Nike for Jannik Sinner’ event in Turin when Sinner, together with his coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, revealed another one of his rituals.

“Honestly, I manage to sleep before every game. I wake up maybe 45 minutes before the game. That’s my luck, because many people struggle to sleep. I, on the other hand, if I have time, warm up, then eat, then go back to sleep… and then I play!” he said.

And it’s not just Sinner. Rafael Nadal had a long list of pre-match rituals that he followed strictly for every match. Some of them included taking a freezing-cold shower 45 minutes before a match, wearing both socks at the same height, placing his bottles in the same position, using a towel after every single point, and more.

One of Nadal’s most iconic rituals saw him place his hair behind his ear and adjust his shorts or underwear before each serve. He also followed a special routine involving his family when heading out to a match. In his book, Rafa: My Story, the Spaniard shared that he used to look for his family members in the crowd. This included his parents, uncle Toni Nadal, sister, and more.

“At the other end of the court to my left are my father and mother and my uncle Toni; and diagonal and across from them, behind my right shoulder, my sister, three of my grandparents, and my godfather and godmother, who are also my uncle and aunt, plus another uncle,” Nadal wrote.

He also thought about his grandfather and his girlfriend-turned-wife, María Francisca, who didn’t attend his matches regularly and watched them on television.

“I could also see, in my mind’s eye, my paternal grandfather and my girlfriend, María Francisca, whom I call Mary, watching me on television back home in Manacor,” he added.

Now, if we look at the Italian’s pre-match ritual, it may not require any change anytime soon, as he is currently in terrific form. After beginning the year with semifinal and quarterfinal exits at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, respectively, the World No. 2 brought his season back on track with the ‘Sunshine Double.’

He captured his maiden Indian Wells title by defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6 (4) and continued this form at the Miami Open, where he handed a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Jiri Lehecka in the penultimate match. With this, Sinner became only the eighth man to complete a ‘Sunshine Double’ triumph.

These two title wins have helped him narrow the gap to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings. The 24-year-old will have a chance to take over the top spot for the second time in his career as the clay-court season begins.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz battle for the top spot in the rankings

The two will be in action at the Monte Carlo Masters, which runs from April 5 to 12. Alcaraz currently leads the ATP rankings with 13,590 points to his name, while Sinner is right behind him with 12,400 points. However, the Spaniard will be dropping 1,000 points before the tournament as he will enter as the defending champion.

This will see the gap at the top go down to just 190 points. Sinner will bag the No. 1 spot if he performs better than the 22-year-old in the Monte Carlo Masters. As the Italian has never won the tournament, he will be aiming to finally end the long wait.

However, Sinner won’t just be in single action here. He has paired with Zizou Bergs for doubles for the first time in a major tournament.

Sinner and Bergs will be locking horns against the pair of Casper Ruud and Tomáš Macháč in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Open. The Italian had previously been in doubles action at the Indian Wells Open, where he paired with Reilly Opelka. They had gained a wildcard entry to the tournament but had been eliminated in the first round against Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Will Sinner be able to continue his superb form and become the World No. 1 at the Monte Carlo Masters, or will Alcaraz maintain his position at the top of the rankings? Let us know what you think in the comments!