Jannik Sinner is back in action this week as he looks to defend his title at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh.
Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam final last year, with another reunion on the cards this time around.
But he must first get past Stefanos Tsitsipas in their quarterfinal, while Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev meet in the other quarterfinal.
Last year’s runner-up Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have both received byes into the semifinals.
Sinner enters the tournament on the back of his Shanghai Masters withdrawal, having retired hurt during his second match.
Jannik Sinner confirms the next three tournaments he will play
ATP number two Sinner suffered from cramps against Tallon Griekspoor, and was ultimately unable to battle through the pain.
As per Ansa, the Italian has now offered a fitness update ahead of his next event, with Sinner saying of his time after Shanghai: “I took two days off, and then we got back to work.
“I feel good physically and mentally, we’re ready here and for the next tournaments, Vienna, Paris, Turin, and we hope to finish the year strong.”
Jannik Sinner shares verdict on Six Kings Slam as he looks to defend his title
Sinner also started out in the quarterfinals of the Six Kings Slam in 2024, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic was then overcome in the semifinals, before the Italian battled past Alcaraz 6-7(5-7), 6-3, 6-3 to claim the title.
Sharing his verdict on the latest edition of the event, which is not affiliated with the ATP Tour, he said: “I’m happy, it’s the second year in a row I’ve been able to play here, we’ll see what the atmosphere is like, but I’m happy.
“Every year is definitely different and every year has its own stories; I’m happy, there are some very tough opponents, and we’ll see what I can do this year.”
READ MORE: The classy move Jannik Sinner made after losing for the very first time on the ATP Tour back in 2019
He also took time to analyse his upcoming opponent, with Tsitsipas at the invite-only event after the withdrawal of Jack Draper.
Sinner said of the Greek: “It will be a tough match, he serves very well and moves very well. I’ll try to play my best tennis and see what happens.”
He will be eager to go all the way this time around, but perhaps more important to him at this moment in time are those ATP events.
The ATP 500 Vienna arrives first next week, followed by the ATP Masters 1000 Paris, before the year-end ATP Finals in Riyadh next month.
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