The special story of the Sinner opponent

The first five-set win in Jannik Sinner's young career wasn't a glamorous success, but it was a much-needed one - especially because of the way it came about. At first the match seemed to have been won, but after three sets it was almost lost, before Sinner pulled everything out of himself and turned things around. Good for the Sexten player: Before the next match, he doesn't have one day off from playing, as is usual at a Grand Slam, but two.

The world number 19 only meets on Thursday. on the Italian Gianluca Mager. The 26-year-old is ranked 87th in the ATP rankings, is a proven sand specialist and has a special story to tell. Mager, who comes from Sanremo, was one of the best in his class in his youth, but according to his own statement, he did not pursue tennis very diligently.

Jannik Sinner wants to move into the third round. © APA/afp / MARTIN BUREAU

“As a teenager, I wanted to have fun. I went out in the evenings, spent time with friends, and deliberately put tennis in the background,” Mager looks back. It was former professional Diego Nargiso who convinced the Italian of his potential, put him on the right path and relaunched his career. After initial successes and another setback, Mager has now established himself in the top 100 of the world rankings - even if, statistically speaking, he is still a “tennis chick”. He only played 32 games on the ATP tour, winning 14 of them. And he only picked up his first win at a Grand Slam tournament this week against Peter Gojowczyk.

Given these numbers, it is self-explanatory that the strong-serving late starter, who prefers the powerful, aggressive game from the baseline, has never played against Sinner. The fact that he is also the big outsider against the young South Tyrolean. Whether Riccardo Piatti's protégé will live up to his role as favorite and be able to put Mager in his place will be seen on Thursday.

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The special story of the Sinner opponent

After the exhausting win against Pierre-Hugues Herbert at the French Open, Jannik Sinner has already turned his focus to the next match, which is special in many ways.

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