Jannik Sinner heads into the Australian Open seeking to become only the second man in the Open Era to have won the title for a third consecutive year.
The Italian world No. 2 has been a dominant force at Melbourne Park in recent years and is currently on a 14-match winning streak. During this streak, only four players have managed to take a set off him: Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Tristan Schoolkate, and Holger Rune. Medvedev was the only player to have won multiple sets against him.
Sinner heads into the Australian Open having not played a warm-up event, which is something he has done in his two previous seasons. His last Tour-level match was in November at the ATP Finals when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the title match.
“It is great to start the season here in this place (Australia). There is a lot of enthusiasm, Australians love their sport,” Sinner told Wide World Of Sports on Wednesday.
“I’ve practiced very well to be here. The off-season was great, physically I feel good so let’s see what’s coming.” He added.
Djokovic is currently the only man in the Open Era to have won the Sunshine Major three times in a row and has won it 10 times overall. However, this isn’t the only thing Sinner will be chasing after.
He is also eager to reclaim the No.1 spot from Alcaraz, who currently leads him by 550 points. The Spaniard is seeking his maiden Australian Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.
“It’s one of the goals of the season,” Sinner said of returning to No.1.
“It’s going to be difficult to get back there but I’m happy to put myself in the game again.”
As to where his current form is, Sinner admits he starts the season with some ‘doubts’ before later clarifying that this was a normal feeling for him. Furthermore, he said he also has ‘a lot of confidence’ based on his previous success on Australian soil.
The Australian Open draw will take place on Thursday, with main draw action scheduled to start on Sunday.
