MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 29, 2026

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/R. Jodar

6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, and then a few in Italian.

Q. I think you have special respect for Rafa Jodar during the whole week. Everything, even going to the court to see him, and something with the schedule and everything. So I would like to ask you why you have signed this, What a player, on the camera? And I know you are improving your Spanish, I don't know if you want to say something in Spanish.

JANNIK SINNER: No, because maybe I say something wrong. That's not the case.

No, look, I think a player who has been ranked very, very high at the beginning of the season, and playing some incredible tennis. In Barcelona winning. Marrakech, I know he won. Making final in Barcelona, coming here and making quarters. He's already a very solid player, and he is, I think he has shown why, you know. He's playing very, very high quality tennis.

You know, I think now, especially this tournament here, very young players are coming through. We cannot forget also about Blockx, for example, you know. He's a bit under the radar, but is he an incredible player. Everyone is improving, you know, so you need always to be in the present moment.

That's also one of the reasons why I went to watch him, you know, him and Joao Fonseca. I like to watch because I know that they are going to be potentially the future opponents most of the time. Everyone is a very different player, and you need to adjust yourself. Even though here it's a quite unique place to play, but in the same time you also need to find solutions here.

So, it was a great match. I found a way through. I am starting to get a bit tired also, you know. But in the same time, I try to recover as much as I can, and then we see how it goes for the semis.

Q. You have beaten Rafa Jodar, one of the greatest sensations of this tournament. What a player, you wrote. How did Jannik leave it from within?

JANNIK SINNER: How did I what?

Q. How did you leave the match?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I mean, of course pressure, because I was, before the match I was the favorite. But in the same time it's, you know, you need to handle the pressure in a very good way.

I felt like the atmosphere was very fair and supporting Rafael. But in the same time, it was very, very fair. And that's something what I really appreciate from the fans. We were hoping for a good match, and that was the case. So when you're part of a good match, it's always a good feeling.

In the beginning he was maybe a little bit, felt a bit of tension, which is normal. But after, it came out as a good match. I had a little bit of experience, you know, a little bit more of experience than him in crucial moments, but it was a good match.

Q. We saw you talking to him on the net for a while. What exactly did you say to him?

JANNIK SINNER: No, I just said I wish him only the best for the season. Keep working, keep improving, and that's it. So I made just some compliments.

Q. You said that you're starting to feel a little bit tired. How do you manage pushing your body to the highest level, and keeping the fatigue and the workout after the match?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I mean, I played a lot in the last two months, one and a half months. There was not a lot of days off that I had. But in the same time, you know, I tried to push myself to the limit to see what I can reach. It's never going to be easy, you know, in any case.

I do believe that I'm in a good position, you know. But in the same time, you always need to push yourself. At the end of the day, at the court I am alone. I have a great, great team behind me, they are pushing me, you know, in the right direction. When I get a bit tired sometimes the attitude is not the right attitude, but I'm trying to be as good as I can. I think I have still margin to improve also from that point of view.

But, look, every day is different. Every day you feel in a different way. Sometimes you have pain somewhere. Sometimes you are a bit tired and nervous and feeling pressure a bit more, which is all normal. So I try to handle it in a very positive way and trying to keep pushing.

Q. It was straight sets again, but it looked very stressful for you on the court. Wondering if you could explain what it did feel like to be out there with the roof closed, seemed like it was hot. And also, playing him, seemed like it was causing you some stress. Is that true and what was the issue?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, you have always some stress. I mean, you know that potentially the match can change very quickly, you know, if it's one break down in the second, and there is potentially a third set, which I was trying to avoid today.

Roof closed, it's definitely different conditions, a bit more humid. I felt the court was a bit slower, and it was getting more physical. Yeah, I think just trying to get through. And then by winning the first set, you know, you always aim to close out in two, even though things can change very quickly and potentially there's a third set.

I made a good change going closer to the return position from 5-All, and that gave me then a different point of view how to return his serve. Maybe I should have done it a little bit before, but talking after the match is always a bit easier.

Q. Good match against Jodar today. It's early, but do you think Jodar could become part of the Big-3 with Fonseca, maybe a Big-4, with Fonseca, Jodar, Alcaraz and you?

JANNIK SINNER: I don't know. Look, I cannot predict the future, you know. What I always believe is they're all incredible talents. Being an athlete you always have a lot of pressure. My advice is always to keep the pressure as much as possible away from the present, even though I know it's always going to be a lot of talk, you know, off the court.

At the end of the day, you know, the player has to make the step forward, and then we see. But what he's doing, it's incredible. I wish him only the best.

But in the same time, don't push him too much, you know. Because sometimes it's getting into your head and it's very tough to get out. He's a very, very good kid, he has a great family behind him. The father seems very, very humble. He has a small bubble, which is great for him. I think he's going to make some incredible results in the future.

There are always going to be other players, new players, even younger than him, coming in a couple of years, most likely, which is always going to be the case. But, yeah, he has everything what's needed.