Jannik Sinner has already made a case for being Italy’s greatest tennis player, having claimed four Grand Slam titles by the age of 24.
And there’s still plenty more to come from him.
With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury, Sinner’s grip on the tour looks set to tighten. Right now, he seems untouchable at Masters 1000 events.
The energy from the home fans in Rome is also lifting him. It’s hard to look past Sinner as the favourite for this year’s Italian Open title.
Jannik Sinner reflects on the home support at this year’s Italian Open
During the Italian portion of his press conference, one reporter asked Sinner for his thoughts on the atmosphere in Rome during that opening match.
“I’m always surprised by the affection they give me, and it continues to strike me,” he said.
“The way they support me in training, and obviously matches. And then it’s wonderful that there are so many children, so many young people. I’ve always said that they’re our future, right? So it’s nice that they already have this passion for tennis.
“We’re a really great group, with so many Italian players like me now, and it’s nice that the kids already have this passion.”
Sinner also highlighted an area of his game he’s been focusing on recently during the same press conference.
Marin Cilic backs two players to take down Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros
Sinner is the clear favourite at both the Italian Open and Roland Garros, especially given his current form and Alcaraz’s injury.
Right now, it feels like the French Open is Sinner’s tournament to lose.
But this week, Marin Cilic offered a different perspective, picking out two names he believes could give Sinner a real challenge in Paris.
Cilic said: “You can also see Zverev is being really consistent now, playing in the final of Madrid. He’s giving himself enough chances. If he’s gonna take it, you know, you never know, but he’s playing great tennis.”
He added: “You know, you always have a few guys that are playing unbelievably on clay, like Casper Ruud, he always loves those Roland Garros court conditions. Yeah, we’ll see… just from my own end I’ll try to get back in there.”
Read more: