Jannik Sinner has dismissed concerns over his health after he cruised into a second consecutive Australian Open semi-final.
The world number one had to battle illness in his last match but cruised past Alex De Minaur 6-3 6-2 6-1 to reach the semi-finals.
It is his second consecutive Australian Open semi-final and Sinner spoke about the challenges of having to defend your first Grand Slam title, “Every time is different, no? The first times you always remember,” Sinner said about his experience of winning the title last year.
“And then when you do it again, you’re still very, very happy to be here, no? You know, we just never taking things for granted. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy trying to bring, you know, some good tennis when it counts, and that’s it, no? I like the conditions here to play, and the crowd is amazing.
“It was very respectful today. Knowing that playing against Alex here, it’s not easy. You know, I’m just trying to enjoy this moment, and then we see how it goes.”
It’s a 12th consecutive win for Sinner at Melbourne Park as he aims to continue his hot streak of best of five set matches on hard courts.
As mentioned earlier, Sinner had to deal with illness in his last round with rumours swirling around as to what it could be he is suffering from.
However the world number one wouldn’t be drawn to comment over his health and is focused on the task at hand, “No, after the match against Holger we made some blood test, you know, some tests. They were all solid, all good,” Sinner stated on his health condition.
“So, you know, sometimes it can happen that you just feel not that well in that day. Today I woke up feeling much, much better. I told my team straightaway that, you know, I’m feeling good tonight. Obviously playing not with the heat helps you, especially when you are not feeling that well.
“But today I felt well already in the morning. I’m still not perfectly, but I’m not concerned in couple of days that I should be fine. But when I went on court, I felt great. This is just what my feelings were before the match. So when I went on court, I felt good with the pressure and everything. With the adrenaline, it helps a lot.”
That is a terrifying statement for the rest of the field as Sinner prepares for a big semi-final against Ben Shelton.
The world number one has a 4-1 head-to-head record against the American but is taking nothing for granted heading into the match, “Tough match. One of the biggest serves we have on tour. He’s a very aggressive player, an all-around player. He can go to the net. He can stay back. We have to see, you know, also with the conditions, and then we see,” Sinner explained.
“It’s difficult match for both of us. We know each other a little bit better now. We had some tough matches in the last year, so let’s see what’s coming. Yeah, I’ve been in these situations already sometimes now. It’s for sure different. But you know, at the end of the day every match, it starts with 0-0, and you just try to do your best, no? This is the only thing I can control.
“You know, if someone plays better than me that day, I can’t really do anything. We taking, as I said before, the things we never take, you know, granted. We are here trying to understand every situation, trying to get better and stronger, and then we see how it goes. Not only here, but also for the rest of the season.”