For Jannik Sinner, 'tennis is the priority’

On Friday afternoon, ABN AMRO Open welcomed Jannik Sinner to Rotterdam Ahoy. The most recent winner of the Australian Open was able to enjoy a comfortable preparation ahead of his first match for the 51st edition. Tonight the Dutchman Botic from Zandschulp will be waiting for him from 7.30 pm.

Sinner is clear about his ambitions this week at the Netherlands' largest ATP tournament: 'Tennis is my priority,’ the World No.4 emphasises. 'After returning from Melbourne, I was very busy in Rome for two days with all kinds of fun obligations. I turned down many requests, to be fully ready for this tournament and feeling good. I never had any doubts about my participation in Rotterdam.’

The 22-year-old Italian has good memories of the tournament in Maasstad, one of Rotterdam’s nicknames. In 2020, Sinner’s debut at the ABN AMRO Open was very special. His opponent Romanian Radu Albot was unable to play due to illness and since no replacement was registered, the match was a walkover. 'That was very strange. I had never experienced this before.’ It was certainly an unusual situation, because at almost all professional tournaments, there is always a 'lucky loser' registered. This allowed a well-rested Sinner to secure a victory over Belgian David Goffin, his first career win against a top 10 player.

Sinner has embraced the show in Rotterdam: 'This is a special place for me. When I was 18 years old, I was given the opportunity to enter the tournament as a wildcard. Now I feel a sense of loyalty towards the tournament. This is one of the best indoor tournaments of the year. The people in the Netherlands are always nice and relaxed.’

Sinner is still undefeated in 2024, since the Monaco resident won all seven of his matches during the Australian Open. In the opening round in Melbourne he was too strong for Botic van Zandschulp (6-4, 7-5, 6-3). Now both meet again in the first round. 'That is immediately a tough opponent. I have a lot of respect for him. The Dutch supporters will most certainly help Botic. So we'll see how it goes’.