Jannik Sinner will be keen to bounce back with a title in Indian Wells, after what many are describing as a tough start to the 2026 season for him.
After all, we have become so accustomed to seeing the former world number one stroll to titles with ease.
And yet, from his first two tournaments of the year, he has suffered surprise defeats in both.
His most recent loss to Jakub Mensik was particularly striking, thus clearing the path for Carlos Alcaraz to claim yet another trophy.
And yet, whilst many are outlining their fears for Jannik Sinner, CoCo Vandeweghe and Chris Eubanks are not worried just yet.
CoCo Vandeweghe loves what she has seen Jannik Sinner do before Indian Wells
Chatting on Tennis Channel Live, it was Eubanks who was first posed the question about what his level of concern should be.
His answer was straightforward: “Very minimal”.
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He continued: “I don’t take too much to his loss to Mensik.
“Mensik is a very dangerous player. He’s a player that can upset anybody in the right conditions. He’s a Masters 1000 champion in his own right, one of the biggest servers on tour. I didn’t take too much about this loss.
“Right after the Australian Open, he lost a tough one to Djokovic. I’m sure there’s a bit of a letdown that happens after that. He went to Doha, put forth a good effort, just wasn’t able to come out on top, looked for a sharper and more focused Jannik Sinner for this Sunshine Double.”
Vandeweghe then chimed in, actually outlining what she loved to see Sinner do ahead of the BNP Paribas Open: “Well, what I love that he has done after that event, he immediately called up Darren and said, ‘ We’re going to come to Indian Wells early.
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“He’s already been here for a week, and that’s so important when it comes to the conditions that all these players are going to be talking about, the hot days where it is just absolutely ruthless and the ball is jumping all over the place, to the cold evenings, where the ball is really hard to move out here.
“And I think Jannik Sinner, the ultimate professional, like Chris was saying, I’m not worried one little bit. He’s going to improve where he needs to improve and feel better about himself, because losing Grand Slams in the finals is what Carlos and Jannik, that’s their pinnacle, and that’s always gonna take a little bit of time to just get over and feel confident about yourself again.”
Jannik Sinner’s potential route to the Indian Wells final
Sinner will have a fine opportunity to bounce back in the Californian desert, having been handed a rather favourable path to the Indian Wells final.
Naturally, as the second seed, he will receive a bye through the first round.
The Italian will then likely face James Duckworth, before one of Tomás Martín Etcheverry or Denis Shapovalov is expected to be waiting in the third round.
Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul are the two favourites to face him in the fourth round.
Then, Sinner might be granted the opportunity for payback, should Jakub Mensik battle past Ben Shelton to reach the quarter-finals.
Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti remain the best bets to reach the semi-final, before Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic are expected to be in the final.
