Jannik Sinner has been in Beijing for a couple of days and started practicing in the tournament he won last year, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and Daniil Medvedev in the final. That triumph was particularly important for the Italian ace, who made a huge leap in quality over the following months.
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The current world number 1 had never defeated Medvedev before the 2023 Beijing tournament and was considered a major underdog by bookmakers. Nobody expected that the 23-year-old from San Candido would have such a rise in such a short time. Jannik has certainly been the best player in the world over the past twelve months, winning two Majors and as many Masters 1000 becoming number 1 in the world with full merit. Sinner has a margin of over 4000 points over Alexander Zverev, who will not compete in the ATP Beijing after playing the Laver Cup last weekend.
The two-time Grand Slam champion is almost certain to finish 2024 at the top of the ATP ranking and wants to win more titles by the end of the season. Alcaraz is the number 2 seed this year, which is why a possible clash between Jannik and Carlitos could only happen in the final.
TheWorld No.1 will face Jarry
TheWorld No.1is set to debut in Beijing on Friday and hopes to continue to shine after winning the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and especially the US Open. His first opponent will be Chilean ace Nicolas Jarry, who can be very dangerous on this surface but who is not living a great moment of form.
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During the press conference before the start of the tournament, Jannik was asked his point of view on the ATP calendar: "Yes, the schedule is quite long in these years, but players can still choose what to play and what not to play. Obviously, we have some mandatory events. As a player, you can still choose, that's what I think. This year we have a very tight schedule, there are many tournaments, but you don't have to participate in a tournament. If you want, you can participate; if not, you don't participate. For example, last year and also this year, I didn't play some tournaments because I wanted to train. There are some decisions behind this, but in general, the season is quite long, so sometimes it's not easy."
Jannik is the defending champion
The Italian ace is the defending champion in Beijing: "It's great to be here; it's a very special tournament. I'm really looking forward to it starting. There are a lot of fantastic players, like last year; the draw is composed of very high-seeded players." The 23-year-old from San Candido avoided Medvedev, who ended up in the same draw split as Carlitos Alcaraz. The US Open champion could find his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti along his run in Beijing, a clash that would certainly be fascinating.
The third final of the year lost at the ATP 250 tournament in Chengdu cannot stop the ambitions of Lorenzo Musetti. The tennis player from Carrara surrendered in the last act of the Chinese event to home player Juncheng Shang - author of a great performance - but gained other important points for the ranking and to continue to cultivate the dream called Finals. "The goal is to get into the top 10 and try to reach the ATP Finals. These tournaments in China should help me climb the ranking," Musetti told Eurosport in an interview before the start of the Chengdu Open.
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Musetti also focused on the golden moment of the Italian tennis, praising in particular Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini. "I mean, I dont know what the secret ingredient is that we Italians have. Weve had a bit of luck for sure. We had so many young talents coming and we have Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini who are the leaders, lets say, of Italian tennis. And we have a big group of guys who are doing really well. So I think FITP is also doing an incredible job in trying to invest in coaches to help players grow. So this is probably the secret ingredient" .
Musetti, considering the draw, could face Shang even in Beijing. The two have ended up in the same part of the table and to meet in the second round they must win at the beginning. Musetti will play with one of the players from the qualifying; while Shang will play the Chinese derby with Yunchaokete Bu. Italian tennis is living a beautiful moment thanks to Sinner and others. The Italian team has good chances to repeat last years Davis Cup triumph.
