The ATP Finals in Turin kicked off with a mix of triumphant returns and dramatic collapses. Italian star Jannik Sinner, last year’s runner-up, began his quest for the title with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory over Australian debutant Alex de Minaur. The reigning Australian and US Open champion displayed his trademark power and precision, overcoming a slow start to dominate the match.
“Considering I haven’t played in four weeks, I’m very happy,” said the 23-year-old Sinner. “I started off with some unforced errors in the beginning of the match. I just tried to stay there mentally knowing at some point my tennis will arrive, and I started to return very well.”
He acknowledged the need to improve his serve, particularly against a strong opponent like Taylor Fritz, who impressed in his own match. The Italian also expressed his delight at playing in front of his home crowd in Turin: “The crowd and the energy. I love to play at home. The welcome was so warm and amazing. I can’t wait for the next one.”
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev, the 2020 Tour-end championship winner, experienced a frustrating opening match, losing to Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3. The match was marred by a series of outbursts from the Russian, who smashed his racket after a series of double faults and later reacted angrily to a mishit lob from Fritz.
Fritz, on the other hand, maintained his composure throughout, eventually securing the victory. “I definitely felt like at 5-3 he was going to reset and try as hard as he could to break me,” said Fritz. “It’s very easy sometimes when someone’s doing that to relax and think they’re just going to be done. Then you drop your level. I just had to tell myself to stay focused at 5-3, play a really good game because he was going to fight for that game. Luckily I served a great game.”
Medvedev, who has struggled with his form and motivation recently, acknowledged the difficult situation he finds himself in. “Every practice is a struggle. Every match is a struggle. I was holding for long time. Now I feel zero pleasure of being on the court. So no surprise at all about the match today,” he said. “The ATP Finals were not easy for me. But like always I fight.”
He admitted to being tired of fighting against internal struggles and hinted at a possible break after the tournament. “I’ll see how it goes. Today actually I had my chances. I’ll have them in the next matches. If it doesn’t work out, I go on holiday. I’m happy.”
In the doubles competition, the British-Finnish duo of Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara made a successful debut in Turin, defeating Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. This sets the stage for exciting clashes as the tournament progresses.
The ATP Finals continues with more high-stakes matches, and fans are eagerly anticipating the next round of thrilling encounters.
