Jannik Sinner says he is ‘excited’ for the upcoming French Open and admits that ‘everyone is trying to beat’ him as he looks to extend his remarkable winning run.
The Italian has looked almost unstoppable since March, capturing titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.
He is the first man in history to win the season’s opening five Masters 1000 tournaments and the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2010 to sweep all three clay-court Masters events in the same year.
Overall, Sinner is currently riding a 29-match winning streak and leads the ATP Live Race rankings by 2260 points.
The world No 1 was last in action at the Italian Open, where he became the first player ever to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments after defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
“I went to my parents’ place for a couple of days,” Sinner said during his pre-tournament press conference at the French Open.
“Staying there and arrived yesterday [Thursday] during the day. I try to recover a bit. I am still trying to recover and hopefully I will be ready then for the first-round match.”
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Sinner came agonisingly close to winning the French Open 12 months ago during a record-breaking five-hour final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The Italian led by two sets and a break and also held three championship points before eventually being overpowered in the deciding set tiebreak of the longest final in tournament history.
Despite the painful defeat, Sinner admitted that Roland Garros remains a ‘very special’ event for him and revealed that he still carries “positive feelings” from last year’s run.
“It’s a very special tournament for me, and it has been increasingly better year after year, and last year we were very close (to winning),” said the world No 1.
“But the feelings and the connection with the crowd was very nice. A lot of kids, which I really like to see. Yeah, it was very nice also, the stairs up, the walk-on.
“And of course I still have some, I think back what happened, but still very positive feelings.”
Sinner also acknowledged the physical and mental demands of maintaining such a dominant run across multiple surfaces throughout the season.
“It has been a very long but very positive period. You know, I’m lucky to be in this position,” he said.
“I think it’s always better to be in a position where you win and you start to feel tired than you feel very good but you lose a couple of rounds.
“I try to have a good balance now at the practice court, understanding when to push, and then hopefully be ready for the first-round match.
“Very happy to be back here. It’s a very special tournament since first time I have played here.
“I think also the excitement helps you find a bit more energy during the tournament.”
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is absent from this year’s French Open after suffering a wrist injury at the beginning of the clay-court season, an issue that will also rule him out of Wimbledon.
With Alcaraz sidelined, alongside Sinner’s recent dominance, the Italian enters Roland Garros as the overwhelming favourite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires and complete the Career Grand Slam.
As a result, Sinner is fully aware that he will be the player everyone is targeting in Paris, beginning with his opening-round clash against French wildcard Clement Tabur.
“Everyone is trying, you know, to beat (me), but that’s also the most normal thing,” he said.
“You need to be ready. Best-of-five (set) matches, they are a bit different. It gives you a little bit more time to understand how to beat a player, and even if you have a wrong start, then potentially you can find a way in.
“I’m very sure I have very, very tough matches in front of me. I try to focus on myself.”
The French Open takes place from May 24 to June 7.
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