ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2025

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/J. Lehecka

6-0, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Jannik. Can you play any better than you did today against Jiri, who is a very tough opponent usually?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, it was a very great match from my side. I think the start of each set, with early break he gave me, then the confidence to keep going, and I'm very happy about today's match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. As someone would say, "Not too bad." But do you feel you have been tested enough so far in this French Open?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, I think in early stages of Grand Slams is good that you don't spend so much time, if you have the chance, on court. So I'm happy to do that.

In the other way, sometimes I think kind of matches like this, they can change quickly, you know, in any case, because if you don't start well in one set and the match can go long, long, and then you cannot control it. We saw that, you know, in occasions here throughout the tournament.

You have to have the focus level always very, very high, because unexpected things can happen. Of course, knowing now in the next-round match there is going to be very, very difficult. Also today, you know, Jiri is an amazing player. We know that. He has shown that throughout his career.

Again, happy about how it's going until now, but in the other way, things can change from one day to the other. We saw that in Rome. I played a nearly perfect match against Casper, and then I struggled the next round.

Yeah, just trying to focus on every day, and we see how it goes.

Q. You just mentioned the match I was going to ask about, the sort of near-perfect match against Casper, and then you said, It can change every day. I don't think a lot of people believed you. Then you struggled in the next round in that first set against Tommy. Do you know before you walk onto the court that you're feeling great and you're going to have one of these matches or that you have a chance at one of these matches, or is it something once you start playing that you don't feel?

JANNIK SINNER: It also depends on the opponent. It's not that you control everything. I just try to control whatever I can, and today I did that, or the first three matches here I did that. Whatever I could control, I tried to control.

And, of course, like this morning I felt that I was, you know, feeling the ball very good, but again, you know, the conditions can change from one moment to the other. There was raining a little bit at some point, and then after it was nearly sunny. This changed how the ball bounces and how fast it goes through the air.

But, yeah, again, things can change so quickly from one day to the other. We saw this in Rome. Nobody believed me, but you know, I was in half an hour, I lost the first set 6-1. So I have to be very careful.

Andrey is an incredible player. I have to be focused. He's rested. So let's see what's coming.

Q. This question is about Jack Draper, not necessarily in this tournament. Just since the last US Open, he's risen so quickly into the top 5. None of us are surprised to see him in the top 5, but are you surprised how quickly and how dominant he's been in the last period of time?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, I said, you know, he's a kind of player who I think we all saw the potential he has or he had already couple of years ago.

He was very unfortunate because he was injured, he went through very difficult moments, he has changed a little bit his team, and I feel like now he's in a very consistent level of mental level and everything.

I'm good friends with him. I'm very happy to have him as a friend, but he's now there. Things are a little bit different. Of course, you know, we are very good friends off the court, but, you know, we practice a little bit less together, because we might know that we can face each other in the later stages of tournaments hopefully, because I always love to play against him.

He's a huge competitor, and I'm very happy for him. I'm the first person who is so happy for him. He's gonna make an incredible career, you know. I wish him only the best. He's a very consistent player since last year of US Open. You said this.

This year maybe the most consistent player we have on tour, because he won big titles, he went far in every tournament. That means that you are feeling comfortable. You know, in every tournament, in every situation, he knows how to play, he knows how to handle it.

So, again, mentally he's in a very good moment, and I'm very happy for him. So I wish him only the best.

Q. As one of the top men's players, there has been a lot of talk at this tournament for years about the scheduling of this tournament and the men's/women's distribution on the schedule on the big courts and how the women almost always get put in the first match of the day at noon when it's emptier and the men almost always get the night session and the bigger spots. As a male player, would you like to see this tournament get in line with the other Grand Slams and have a more equal sort of gender division of the schedule?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I have heard some players, no? Look, we don't make the schedule. You know, we are players, and we don't make the schedule.

We have the same amount of men's and woman's matches on the big courts. We have the same amount of prize money on men's and woman. You know, the night schedule, I don't make the schedule, you know, so I cannot give you any feedback. So I don't want to comment on that or go into details, no?

I think we have equal so many things at the moment here, and it's nice to see. So, yeah, maybe things can change in future. I don't know.

Q. If you did make the schedule, would you do it differently? Would you make it more fair?

JANNIK SINNER: Fair, what do you mean?

Q. Fair distribution in the night sessions, in the best slots. There hasn't been a women's match at night in over two years.

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I mean, there is, in my point of view, men's matches, they are best-of-five. We know that. Woman's, they are best-of-three. If they want to put woman's in the night, they have to put at least two matches, you know, because if someone has a bad day and someone a very good day, the match is over in less than an hour.

So they could play potentially a couple of woman matches in the evening. A man's, to put two matches there, it's impossible, because it can go so long or you start at 6:00 and then it's okay, but it's too long.

But in the other way, again, I'm not making the schedule. You know, all I know is that we still have the same amount of men's and woman matches. Here, for example, on center court, there is two and two. The same is in Lenglen. The same in Simonne Mathieu at the moment. So there is quite a lot equal. But again, I don't make the schedule, so yeah.

If they want to put night sessions and woman, they have to play two, I guess. That's the only thing I can say then, yeah.