Jannik Sinner claims there is extra ‘pressure’ on his shoulders since winning the Australian Open

Jannik Sinner has extended his winning streak to 18 matches, after reaching the Indian Wells quarter-finals for a second consecutive year.

Sinner beat Ben Shelton, who was one of the last two people to beat the Italian, in a straight sets victory last night in California, 7-6(1) 6-1.

And the world No.3 has reflected on his 15th victory of the season, “For sure it was a different matchup. I knew that obviously playing against him, there’s not so much rhythm.

“But I think I can be really proud about how I played. I just tried to stay positive. There were tough moments, especially in the first set. I’m really happy that I won that, and obviously started really positive in the second set, which gave me a lot of confidence.”

The 22-year-old has openly spoken about how his life has changed since winning a first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, but appears to be taking it all in his stride.

“Winning a Grand Slam, it’s an incredible feeling, nice feeling. I still have it in my mind. But in the other way, we are already months away,” explained Sinner. “I’m playing here, and I have pressure on my shoulders. This is normal. I also enjoy these kind of moments on the court. To be around fans and crowd, it’s a good feeling.”

15 – Moving to 15-0 with victory over Ben Shelton at Indian Wells, Jannik Sinner is only the second U23 player in the Open Era to open a season with 15 consecutive ATP match wins, after Stefan Edberg (1987). Benchmark.#TennisParadise | @BNPPARIBASOPEN @janniksin @atptour pic.twitter.com/rARvC3HYWu

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) March 13, 2024

Sinner will look to continue his winning run when he plays Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals on Thursday, to potentially set up a semi-final matchup against rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Inside the baseline…

Jannik Sinner is the inform player on the ATP Tour at the moment, as he continues to push towards the No.2 ranking for the first time in his career. It is hard to see anyone stopping Sinner from winning his second Masters 1000 title at the moment, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev probably the biggest threats left to the Italian.

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