Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has consistently used his HEAD TGT 301.4 racket since the start of his professional career, maintaining this choice for three consecutive years. According to Mediaset, Sinner feels comfortable and confident with his current racket and prefers not to alter his setup.

The extent of Sinner's loyalty became evident earlier this year. In early 2026, he briefly experimented with HEAD's new Speed MP racket during an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Seoul. However, he quickly reverted to his trusted model for the Australian Open campaign. During a practice session with Taylor Fritz before the tournament, Sinner was reportedly heard remarking, "This racket is bad."

Sinner's decision to stick with his older model surprised his sponsor. Some fans speculated that this might have contributed to his semi-final loss against Novak Djokovic. However, Sinner's coaching team countered these claims, asserting that the racket was not the decisive factor in his performance.

Sinner and his old model racket at the Australian Open 2026 in Melbourne last week. Photo: Cpro

Following the tournament, HEAD addressed fan inquiries with a statement: "Sinner trained and played exhibition matches with the new racket, but he has not yet had the opportunity to use it in an official match. As the defending Australian Open champion last year, he proactively stuck with his proven racket to ensure maximum stability. Let's see what the future holds."

Sinner is reportedly quite superstitious. He is reluctant to change anything that has contributed to his success, especially after winning back-to-back titles in Melbourne for two years. His 2022 racket model was specially tuned by HEAD for its weight and balance. In contrast, the new 2026 model is crafted from a Carbon-Boron composite, a material designed to offer enhanced stability and precision upon ball contact.

Despite failing to defend his Australian Open title, Sinner maintains his position as the second-ranked player in the world. An announcement on 5/2 confirmed that the 24-year-old will compete in the Doha Open this month. The tournament is expected to feature both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who recently defeated Sinner in Melbourne.

Having missed three months at this point last season, every tournament after the Australian Open presents an opportunity for Sinner to earn points and narrow the gap with Alcaraz. The Spanish player recently announced his withdrawal from the Rotterdam Open, which will result in a deduction of 500 points. Alcaraz currently holds 13,650 points, leading Sinner by 3,350 points.

Vy Anh