US OPEN

August 26, 2025

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/V. Kopriva

6-1, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Last week you said you weren't up to 100%. Did you now feel 100% physically?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I feel in a good shape physically. Has been some good practice days, especially last couple. Yeah, I feel physically in a good spot.

Also good first-round match, so I'm very happy. Let's see what's coming.

Q. I wanted to ask about how you make your schedule with exhibition events and other non-tour events, in particular, Laver Cup, which you've been one of the top European players for a lot of years but never played Laver Cup. Wonder why you made that choice. And I'm sure you get lots of offers to play at various exhibition events, which ones to do, like Six Kings. How do you balance that part of your schedule?

JANNIK SINNER: I consider also in what shape I am and what my goal is now to play exhibitions. I always like to play or to be ready for tournaments. I want to be ready, and sometimes it's not the right time and not the right schedule.

I never played many exhibitions, and there is always a reason behind. Yeah, that's it.

Q. Your win against Carlos three years ago, that was kind of the birth of that rivalry for you. Wondered what your memories are of that match and how significant it felt at the time to you?

JANNIK SINNER: The match with Carlos here?

Q. Yeah.

JANNIK SINNER: You know, three years back I felt like we were getting to know each other obviously and in different ways, but we also didn't know exactly what to expect in the future.

It's the same now. You don't know what's happening, now with us now on. I feel like when we were very, very young, it was, you know, like a kind of match where you just go on court and just hit, you know. Now I feel like we have to prepare tactically, we have to prepare it also emotionally and mentally.

It's everything different, because, you know, in the past three years, we faced each other many times, and every match we play it's different, if we watch the tactical side. So we make adjustments.

But for sure it was an important match to see also that our peak is very interesting to see also from the outside. It was for sure one of the key matches, even if we were very young.

Q. A slightly different question in relation to Carlos. Did you see his haircut?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah (smiling).

Q. What did you think? Would you like one?

JANNIK SINNER: No. Honestly, I think everything suits him, you know. But it grows very fast, so it's going to be all aligned in two days. But it suits him. Even like this, it looks good. Even when he has longer hair, it suits. So, yeah.

Q. Your movement is obviously a key part of your game, but I think when you first came on the tour, people were more focused on how you struck the ball and how well you struck the ball. For you, have you always considered yourself a great mover, or is that a big improvement in your mind?

JANNIK SINNER: No, we try to improve, of course. But if you want to hit good ball, you have to arrive with good movement. You know, the better you move, then better you hit the ball.

I think that's like the key also to be a clean hitter, and I can say that I'm a clean hitter, I guess, but I'm also trying to move in the best possible way. Both sides. You have to move open stance and also closed stance. To go also, you know, through the ball with the whole body.

Yeah, it's a combination.

Q. What do you remember most from your run here last year that might be helpful to you this year?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, ups and downs. Also last year, because I started some matches where I didn't start them as I wanted to. I remember the match against Tommy, against Paul. If you ask me like this, you know, I was down a break, then I recovered and felt better.

So sometimes it takes also a little bit more time to get used to the conditions. It can happen if I play night, you know, because I don't know the conditions yet. So, yeah, and every day can be different because I remember then from one day to the other I felt great.

So let's see, but also last year was different, different situation before the tournament, different emotions and everything. Let's see (smiling).

Q. You have been on tour now for quite a few years. What would you say surprises you the most about life as a professional tennis player? What's the hardest part of that like?

JANNIK SINNER: I don't know. I feel like it should not be hard, you know. Because that's what I love to do, you know, and I like to travel. I like to play tennis, obviously. And I feel very lucky.

So it should be not difficult. Of course we have difficult moments when you start to lose some matches, when you lose matches when you have match points. You know, everything. But at the end of the day, you have to accept and consider yourself as a lucky man, you know.

We play in front of people. Great support. And that's it, you know. We also have to be or should be a great point of view for young kids, you know, as watching in TV like I did back in the days, and I still do. I love to watch tennis. We should be, yeah, a good face of the sport.

So yeah, I think there are many surprises, you know, behind the scenes, yes, which I don't want to tell here in front of you, but there are positive and negative surprises, which is in every job. I guess it's in your job too. And that's it.

But I do consider myself very lucky, and this life should not be difficult.

Q. What have you learned about managing yourself through these two-week Grand Slams over the last couple of years? And what sort of tricks and hacks you have that help make it easier?

JANNIK SINNER: I feel like experience and then experiencing, you know, the good and the bad. It helps always.

I had moments where I can say that in my age that I had, you know, good and bad, which is good, you know, so I do understand certain moments.

You know, back in the days, I used to practice in the days off two hours, you know, in the court. Now I understand that, you know, if you feel the ball and everything, it's better to rest, you know, to have as much energy as possible then for the next day for the match so you're not drained.

And all these kind of things, you know, where you make the physio in hotel or here, how much time you want to spend here on-site or you want to leave as soon as possible. I did learn that I just come to work and then get out of here, you know, because it can be very long at times.

So, you know, managing everything together, and I think I'm learning. I'm not perfect, but I'm learning.