It hasn't really shaken so far. He certainly dropped a small set during his second round against Tristan Schoolkate. But Jannik Sinner has not yet been able to really test himself in this 2025 Australian Open. And if he still has this margin on the circuit common which allows him to display diabolical regularity, the world number 1 has not not been imperial on the courts of Melbourne. “I still have a lot to work on“, he admitted on the court on Saturday at the microphone of Jim Courier. And that's good, the Italian will come up against Holger Rune in the round of 16 who may cause him some problems.
Faced with a Marcos Giron who was too limited in the third round, the boss of the circuit and defending champion in Melbourne in any case poured in as he should. Imprecise in particular on the forehand, he multiplied the unforced errors (37 errors). “I felt like I hit the ball better than in previous matches but I still missed a few shots. I tried things, serves and volleys. (…) My success at the net was not great today. But I'm trying to improve “, he admitted after qualifying for the round of 16 before promising: “II'm going to raise my level in the next round“.
Sinner, from breakdown to release against Schoolkate: the large format on video
Video credit: Eurosport
Courier : “Sinner is trying to take himself to a higher level”
Still inconsistent and far from being at his best level, Jannik Sinner, who arrived without a preparation tournament to defend his title for this first Grand Slam lift of the year, does not, however, hide the fact that he is delighted to be passed without incident during this first Australian week. Because perhaps he had other goals in mind. Jim Courier is convinced of this: the Italian was testing things to have more strings to his bow. “Sinner is trying to move up to a higher level, which means having more options in play, because he has to prepare for big matches“, estimates our expert.
-The reason for this is clear for the former US champion, double winner of Roland-Garros and the Australian Open. “He knows that his base level allows him to win matches like this. He also knows that his bad days are better than anyone else's, including Carlos Alcaraz. But I think he understood that his best day against Alcaraz's best day is not in his favorlance Jim Courier. Alcaraz always has extra speed because he has so many different options. For me, Sinner is trying to get to a higher level, which means having more options in play, because he has to prepare for the big matches.”
Rune, a real life-size test
On Monday, Jannik Sinner will therefore have a slightly more precise idea of these “tests”. Because facing Holger Rune (13th), the double Grand Slam winner (Australian Open and US Open 2024) will come up against a tougher opponent who has the weapons to upset him. The 21-year-old Dane also announced his desire last December to rise to the level of the very best. And if he's looking forward to this duel, he has a pretty clear idea of what he wants to do. “This is how I have to play against Sinner to give myself a chance to beat him. I need my legs to respond and play like I did in the fifth set (editor’s note: against Miomir Kecmanovic), he explained on Ekstrabladet. I have to be the one in charge, because he's not going to give me anything.”
This is promising. The duels between the two players have always been disputed. Because if the Italian won their last two matches after losing the first two, Holger Rune caused problems for the transalpine boss by taking a set from him in Monte-Carlo last year (6-4, 6-7, 6 -3) just like at the ATP Finals in 2023 (6-2, 5-7, 6-4). Enough to say that Jannik Sinner will really know where he is this Monday in his tests and for his quest for the Australian double.
