"In Cincinnati I had a virus that other players also had. I've almost fully recovered, not 100% yet, but we're aiming to get there in a couple of days. So everything should be fine for the tournament": during the media day from Flushing Meadows, Jannik Sinner explained the origin of the illness that forced him to retire from the Masters 1000 final on Monday evening against Alcaraz. After all, the man to beat at the 2025 US Open is him, winner of the 2024 edition and capable of triumphing at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year .
The world number one will begin his journey at Flushing Meadows by facing Czech world number 89 Vit Kopriva in the first round between Monday and Tuesday. " I'm very happy to be back here," he said in a press conference. "It's a great tournament . It's obviously the last Slam we have this season, so I'm very motivated. Physically, I feel good. Here, it matters a lot whether you play day or night . There are so many small details that make this Slam different. It's a very difficult tournament to play."
Sinnner then talks about his rivalry with Alcaraz. "We're two different players. He's obviously very fast on the court. With other players, the point could sometimes be over, but he gets to certain balls and therefore reads the game differently," he says. "Now we know each other better. It's a very tactical game. We have different styles, both in terms of our play and our attitudes on and off the court. We're simply different. At the same time, though, it's beautiful to watch, because it makes everything so interesting. The only thing we have in common is that we train hard. We make decisions based on the tennis. Right now, that's our priority, as it should be, because it's the little details that make the difference."
“ I told my parents—I was young when I left home—that if I wasn't in the top 200 at 23 or 24, I would quit, because we couldn't afford it with the money we had, ” he revealed in a press conference. “Traveling to tournaments costs a lot. If you have a coach, it's even more so. I was very lucky because I started earning money at 18, and that's when I felt more confident . When you're young, you just talk about a dream. You don't even really believe it. Sometimes I said: I want to become world number 1, or win a Grand Slam. But those were just dreams. The position I'm in today was way beyond my dreams . Now it's different. Now I understand my potential. I understand that if I play well, I can win tournaments. The perspective is different. But if you ask me when I was young, my dream was just to break into the top 100. That would have been my happiness. Everything that came after that is a huge bonus.”
Sinner reflected on last year's US Open, which took place just days after the clostebol scandal was revealed: "I definitely feel different now. Last year, it was a much more stressful situation, especially since it came right before a Grand Slam," he explained. "It was difficult to manage everything. Even for me, who am still young." On Umberto Ferrara's return to his staff: "We've already said everything in the statement," he explained. "I don't want to add anything else. For me, it's over. We're focusing on hard work again and improving as an athlete. That's what matters now." After yesterday's practice with Argentine Francisco Comesana, today Sinner trained for two hours with American Alex Michelsen (while on the adjacent Alcaraz court he trained with Karen Khachanov), under the watchful eye of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. Anticipation is therefore growing for the US Open, the final Slam of the season, and starting this year, with a 20% increase in total prize money compared to last year, it will become the richest official tennis tournament ever.
The singles winners will collect a record $5 million: 39% more than last year.
(Unioneonline)