Jannik Sinnerthe new world number 1 in tennis, is in Halle (Germany) to begin the short grass tour that culminates in the Wimbledon tournament (July 1-14), the third grand slam it is from time.
The 22-year-old Italian will debut his status as the new king of tennis against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (23rd), a dangerous tennis player who reached the semifinals this week of Hertogenbosch (he gave before Sebastian Korda), tournament where he defends the title in 2023.
The sinner dominated (4-0) Griekspoor in their previous meetings, two this season, in the semifinals of Rotterdam (6-2, 6-4) and the 3rd round of Miami Masters 1,000 (5-7, 7-5, 6-1). Jannik will have a route full of curves in Halle, with Marozsan, Safiullin (eighth), Chillies (quarters) or Medvedev (semifinals) as a possible rival on the way to the final. Zverev, Rublev, Hurkacz and Auger They are the bones on the other side of the table.
“It will be very complicated. Griekspoor is a good player on grass. He serves and volleys a lot, he volleys really well. It will be a complicated match, but I am looking forward to starting to compete on grass. It will be a good test for me, to see where my level is on this surface,” the Italian told the ATP website.
“On grass, I will only compete here and at Wimbledon. It’s different. First day you have to adjust to the movements on the surface and it’s a bit complicated, especially when you face players in the first rounds that already exist. Competed on grass They is already there, but I’m happy to be back and I hope I can play good tennis,” said Jannik.
Taking advantage of his stay in Halle, Sinner also recalled that at this German tournament five years ago he received advice from Roger Federer which he still remembers. Jannik, then 17 years old, played in that tournament thanks to an invitation, but he was more affected by his meeting with Federer, after the intermediation of the Swiss coach at the time, Severin Luthi.
“I remember Luthi stopping me on the hotel steps and asking me if I could warm up with Roger before his fight. ‘Of course!’ I said. It was a pretty special feeling,” Sinner recalled. Federer won his 10th and final title in Halle that year.
“I never had the chance to play against Roger in an official match, and it’s something I’ll always miss, but I remember the training sessions next to him. I couldn’t do it many times, so I remember more or less each of them. “He gave me good mental advice: try to enjoy yourself and keep wanting to work hard. That’s all he told me, it was great to share the court with him,” explained the Italian.
Source: La Verdad
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