In his first match as the new number 1 in the ATP ranking, Jannik SInner played against the Dutch tennis player Tallon Griekspoor and won a rather complicated match, reversing after losing the first set in the tiebreak, qualifying for the 2nd round of the Halle Open. During the post-match interview, the Italian answered many questions, both regarding the match and his adaptation to grass, and also about his private life. From the relationship with the tennis player Anna Kalinskaya to the relationship with the family, passing through the sensations of being the new ATP No.1.

“Me, my family and my friends are still the same. They are just results; obviously we are all happy for this and I am lucky to share all this with them. Otherwise, however, I am still the same person as I was 1 or 2 years ago. I love spending time with my friends doing something different, playing cards or riding go-karts. I feel very good when I’m with them. I wake up with a goal, then I want to improve as a person and as a tennis player. In my mind I always want to work hard, it’s part of my work ethic and I think I have a positive mindset,” he told.

Griekspoor was a tough opponent, he demonstrated it several times in the last matches, but he gave Jannik the opportunity to become familiar with grass-courts, in order to prepare for the next matches. Now in the second round there will be the Hungarian Maroszan; Jannik has a chance to earn a level Quarterfinal against probably Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Italian tennis player had to work harder than expected against an always treacherous Tallon, overcoming a set deficit and finishing with a score of 6-7(8) 6-3 6-2, after 2 hours and 19 minutes of great tennis.

“In the tie-break I was ahead 5-1, but I still lost it. This can happen, especially on this surface where everything can slide very quickly. I think I was good from a mental point of view. I struggled in the second set , when I found myself down 0-40 on serve, it would have been even more complicated to try to find the right confidence again on the grass. I hope I can show some good tennis in the next round too. At the break at 4-2 in the second set, I ran a bit from right to left, then I tried to somehow catch the ball and make him play at least one more shot. He was under pressure with the break point and somehow I managed it. Then I gained confidence,” told Sinner after the match.

The 22-year-old Italian was able to resist in moments of difficulty, canceling three dangerous break points in the second set and showing off the play of a true champion, taking advantage of the Dutch tennis player’s decline to bite the match.
With this success, Jannik avoided joining an unenviable ATP No.1 club defeated in the first match after taking the ATP ranking throne.

Among the four ATP No.1s to share this negative record, the most recent is Carlos Alcaraz. The three-time Slam champion, in 2022, took the lead in the men’s rankings for the first time, but was defeated in the Davis Cup by Felix Auger Aliassime a few weeks later. A record shared with his coach. In fact, in 2005, Juan Carlos Ferrero, fresh ATP No.1, was defeated by Andreas Seppi. The Davis Cup was also fatal for the Spaniard. Before the two Spaniards, we must go back to February 12, 1996, when the Austrian Thomas Muster surrendered in the first round of the Dubai tournament to Sandon Stolle. The fourth and final protagonist of this club is a true legend. On March 2, 1980, John McEnroe took first place in the men’s rankings. Five days later, in a competition that seems almost cursed for number 1s – the Davis Cup – the American was beaten by the Argentine José Luis Clerc. Another 17 days passed, and McEnroe left the top of the rankings, overtaken by Bjorn Borg.