On Saturday Jannik will make his debut at the Italian Internationals to extend his positive streak and then launch himself towards the great goal of 2026: winning at Roland Garros
There are two appointments marked with a red circle in the agenda Jannik Sinner for 2026. Winning the last Masters 1000 he has left, that is the Italian Internationals and triumph in the Slam which he has not yet managed to conquer after last year’s final, Roland Garros. How much he cares about this double event is demonstrated by the preparation that the South Tyrolean has dedicated to improving himself on clay, a difficult surface until some time ago and which has now become a friend as demonstrated the performances on the pitches of Monte Carlo and Madrid. Within this professionalism aimed at always improving, trying to eliminate every little defect because Sinner always aspires to grow, there is the iron will to play without interruption. After the victory in Monte Carlo, many had advised him against playing in Madrid and instead the number one in the world not only played the Caja Magica tournament but also demonstrated it almost effortlessly by winning the final against the number three in the world in less than an hour.
Always play
Jannik has repeated it several times, for him the greatest difficulties in a tournament are in the first matches. When he adapts to the surface and courts of large facilities he grinds down his opponents and his game continues to grow, an impressive level and an impression that is increasingly widespread in the world of tennis and shared by great former champions such as Adriano Panatta and Paolo Bertolucci is that until the return of Carlos Alcaraz (out with a wrist injury in both Rome and Paris) there is no one capable of putting Sinner in difficulty. From March 7, the first match played in Indian Wells, to last Sunday, the day of the final in Madrid, Sinner played (and naturally won) 23 matches consecutively. On Saturday he will make his debut at the Foro Italico and could potentially play six on the Roman courts before moving to Paris where, in addition to having accumulated fatigue, he will have to play best-of-five matches and, including the final, he could play another seven. The projection is easy to make: from March 7th to June 7th Sinner could accumulate 36 games in 93 days.
Roddick: “It’s an algorithm”
“Sinner is an algorithm. He updates himself, he evolves, he never has an empty pass. It’s incredible, he’s a much better player than he was in September last year. And it was already extraordinary.” Word of Andy Roddick. The former American tennis player, one of the most popular commentators today, is ‘shocked’ by Jannik Sinner’s growth. The blue, number 1 in the world, is experiencing an exceptional moment with 4 triumphs in a row. “It’s absurd to think of Sinner’s improvements compared to 4 years ago, now he is totally complete. He could have limited himself to hitting from the baseline and he would have won another 5 Slams. Now he has improved his serve, he added the short ball ‘caught’ by Carlos, he plays his backhand from behind. He has all these options and he doesn’t even have to use them all. Djokovic seems to be the best in changes of direction, his service percentages have increased. He can do everything and he doesn’t need to do it.”
The road in the tournament
Sinner will make his debut at the Foro Italico on Saturday, in the second against the winner of the match between the Austrian Sebastian Ofner and the American Alex Michelsen. Jannik could then have several derbies on his way: starting with the super challenge against Matteo Berrettini, in the third round, or the cross with the Czech Jakub Mensik. In the round of 16 there could instead be a cross between the American Frances Tiafoe and the Frenchman Arthur Fils, while in the quarterfinals the dangers are Andrej Rublev and Ben Shelton. In the semi-final one of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Joao Fonseca or Flavio Cobolli. In the final, however, Sinner could find Alexander Zverev, just beaten in Madrid, Novak Djokovic, returning to the circuit after the Australian Open, Lorenzo Musetti or Alex De Minaur.
