Jannik Sinner played his first round match at Roland Garros in the night session.
Sinner is the big favorite to win Roland Garros this year, having won every single tournament he has played on clay coming into the Paris major.
While there are no concerns about the world number one’s form, there were suggestions that the heat could disrupt Sinner, who has previously struggled in hot conditions.
Scorching temperatures have been over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Paris, and after Sinner won his first round match against Clement Tabur, he was asked if he was concerned about the heat.
Jannik Sinner claims he is ‘happy’ to play in the day session
Sinner beat French wildcard Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to win his 30th consecutive match and reach the second round of Roland Garros.
This match took place in the cooler night session conditions, and in his post-match press conference, Sinner was asked how he would be feeling about playing in the heat of the day.
Sinner claimed that he does not mind where he plays in the schedule, citing Indian Wells as a tournament where he dealt well with the heat after winning the title there.
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“We are going to see. I am happy to play at night or in the day, whenever they put me,” answered Sinner. “I think I handled the heat very well at Indian Wells, it was very hot this year and I did not have an issue there.
“We prepared in a good way. Of course, here is a different heat, but the humidity is not as tough as maybe in Australia or the US.
“We are going to see. I mean, every day counts so tomorrow is a good day to get used to the heat and we will see when I am going to play. It’s going to then be a problem for after tomorrow, so let’s see.”
Even though he does not appear to be fazed about playing in the day, Sinner’s chances of playing in the night session appear to have improved after Gael Monfils exited the tournament.
Sinner should also be encouraged by the weather forecast, as temperatures in Paris are expected to get cooler as the tournament goes on.
Jannik Sinner rates his level after winning his first round match at Roland Garros
Sinner is expected by many to win the Roland Garros title, and there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders for him to do so, particularly with his biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz currently out with a wrist injury.
When asked about how he played in his first match in Paris this year, Sinner appeared to be pleased with his level against Tabur.
“Starting off a tournament is always very special and playing the night session is very nice,” said Sinner.
“He is a very good competitor, I was looking forward to it, and we had some really good rallies so I’m very happy with the level of today. The first round matches are never easy, so I am very happy.”
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Sinner will hope to continue his winning streak in the second round at Roland Garros, where he will play against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
This will be a second-time meeting between the two players, with Sinner beating Cerundolo at Wimbledon in 2023.
