Jannik Sinner is back. © Australian Open / Social Media

Jannik Sinner continues where he left off

44 days after his last match, Jannik Sinner returned to the big tennis stage on Tuesday. The world number one faced Alexei Popyrin (ATP 25) in a charity match in Melbourne, whom he beat in two sets.

07 January 2025

From: leo

Last year, Jannik Sinner made himself immortal in the Rod Laver Arena when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open and won his first Grand Slam title. The 23-year-old wants to defend this title this year. In order to prepare perfectly for the tournament that begins on Sunday, the Sextner is playing two exhibition matches this week. Sinner defeated the Australian Alexei Popyrin 6:4 and 7:6 on Tuesday, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be on the other side of the net on Friday.

Although there was nothing at stake in the match, both players showed a high level of intensity. "Today, Alexei and I are friends, not opponents. It's the perfect opportunity to get to know the situation," Sinner said in a short interview during a change of sides. "I have the opportunity to try things that will hopefully work in a week."

Sinner already in good shape

Under the strict eyes of his coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, Sinner dominated the game from the start. Initially, the 23-year-old missed five break points in two different games. When the score was 4:4, he broke his opponent's serve for the first time, against whom he has a 0:1 record. Shortly afterwards, the set was won. "I think we are playing at a high level," Sinner analyzed.

Alexei Popyrin and Jannik Sinner played a great match. © Australian Open / Social Media

In the second set, the local hero showed why he won his first Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal last year. He applied a lot of pressure with his forehand and serve. The break to 4:2 was given to him by the Sextner, who made a double fault, among other things. Popyrin ran away to 5:2, and everything pointed to a third set. Sinner, however, had other plans and got the lost break back. The set went into extra time, in which Sinner left nothing to chance and ended the match.