Qualified for the third round, Sinner is confident: "I'm ready for the next stage".
Jannik Sinner has made a very solid start to the tournament. He arrived in Paris in doubt, not because of his prodigious results, but rather because of his physical condition. With a hip problem (he withdrew from Rome before the French Open), he himself admitted he didn't know exactly where he stood.
After a solid first round, he followed it up perfectly, defeating Richard Gasquet in style (6-4, 6-2, 6-4). Without necessarily playing his best tennis, and sometimes dragging his feet, particularly on forward runs, the Transalpine impressed nonetheless. Looking back on his second-round victory, he explains: "There was a good atmosphere. I felt better today than I did in my first round. It was special to play Richard Gasquet at home, in front of his home crowd. The crowd were very fair, and I must thank them. I'm ready for the next round. It was a very positive day."
Asked about his chances of becoming world number 1 by the end of the tournament, Sinner dismissed the subject: "Am I thinking about the number 1 spot? No, we'll see... I'm just concentrating on my matches and my opponents. I'm happy as I am".
To reach the second week, he still has one hurdle to clear this Friday: Pavel Kotov, one of the rising stars on the men's circuit. An opponent who, on paper, shouldn't pose him too many difficulties, as evidenced by his victory over the same Russian in Madrid (6-2, 7-5). That said, the playing conditions in Paris seem to suit Kotov much better, so the world number 2 will have to be vigilant.
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