Jannik Sinner believes he ‘can improve’ despite convincing Australian Open win
Jannik Sinner became the first man to reach the third round of the Australian Open earlier today, in a performance that he admitted was ‘a little bit better’ than his opening round match.
Sinner beat Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong, 6-2 6-2 6-2, on Rod Laver Arena and did not have to face a single break point in his 40th Grand Slam victory.
The world No.4 has played Dutch opponents in both matches so far in Melbourne, beating Botic Van de Zandschulp in the first round, but seemed more pleased with his second win.
“Tennis-wise, I played a little bit better,” claimed Sinner. “I felt better on the court. With the roof closed, it’s a little bit different. I love the conditions.”
Despite this, Sinner still feels that there is room for improvement, “For sure I can improve. Today I played quite well and I felt good on the court. I was very calm and stable throughout the whole match. We have to see how I go when the match is closer and when the sets are closer.”
The 22-year-old continued, “Today it seemed easier than it was because he [De Jong] played well throughout the whole tournament. I wish him all the best. He’s a very nice person, a nice man, and hopefully, we can see him many more times making some good draws the whole year.”
Awesome to be back @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/Sw28ZuBqtF
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) January 15, 2024
Sinner will face a higher ranked player in the third round in 26th seed Sebastian Baez, who he beat in their only previous meeting in Shanghai last year.
Inside the baseline…
Jannik Sinner is definitely one of the favourites for the Australian Open title this year, having finished the 2023 season in sensational form in China and at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup. The Italian made the bold choice not to play any warm-up tournaments prior to the Melbourne major, but that does not seem to be affecting him so far having not dropped a set.
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