Jannik Sinner is preparing to make his return to the field after the defeat suffered in the semi-final of Roland Garros against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian tennis player will make his official debut from number 1 in the world: the appointment is at the tournament ATP 500 in Halle, where he will make his debut against the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor. The South Tyrolean champion will try to make his way on German grass, where an important event will take place in the run-up to Wimbledon, the third Slam of the season which is fast approaching.
During a series of statements released on the eve of the ATP’s official channels, Jannik Sinner wanted to reveal a advice that Roger Federer had left him, who had helped warm up in Halle in 2019: “I didn’t have the chance to play against Roger in an official match, and that’s something I will always miss, but I remember the training sessions with him. I didn’t have many, so I remember every single session, more or less. He only gave me mental advice: try to have fun and keep working hard. That’s the only thing he told me, and it was very nice to share the field with him“.
The winner of the last US Open has never won a tournament on this surface and it could succeed in Germany: “It would be very special, because there are not many grass tournaments during the year. I only play here and at Wimbledon, so I only have two chances this year. But overall, it’s great to be back on grass“. The 22-year-old elaborated: “On the first day you have to do the movements on the surface and it is difficult, especially when you play the first rounds against players who have already played on grass. They have a bit of chemistry, but this is a place where they believed in me, they gave me a wild card in qualifying in the past. So I’m happy to come back here and I hope I can show good tennis right away“.
On the first round opponentalways beaten in the previous four: “It will be very difficult, in general he plays well on grass. He does a lot of serve and volley. He volleys very, very well. It will be a very difficult match, but I can’t wait to play on grass. It will be a good test for me, for my first match on grass, to see what my level is. I will give everything and I can’t wait to see the audience here. The atmosphere is good and I will just try to enjoy it“.
