Jannik Sinner came through his opening ATP Finals match against Felix Auger-Aliassime with flying colours as the Canadian battled with injury.
Sinner has been in form of late, beating Auger-Aliassime in the Paris Masters to claim the final ATP 1000 event of 2025.
Sinner has been criticised for skipping the Davis Cup, and this tournament represents the final chance for him to win silverware this season.
Sinner has claimed he feels confident going into the ATP Finals, and he started in style against Auger-Aliassime, who was clearly struggling with an injury problem.
Auger-Aliassime chose to skip an event in Metz, but now he’s in danger of his season ending in disappointment, with the injury sustained likely to be assessed in the coming days.
Jannik Sinner sends message to Felix Auger-Aliassime
It can’t be easy for any player to kick off their campaign at the ATP Finals with a match against Sinner, especially for Auger-Aliassime, who was only beaten by the Italian a matter of weeks ago.
The injury sustained during the first set ensured one-way traffic in the second, and after beating him, Sinner had a message during his on-court interview for his defeated opponent.
He said: “It was a very tough match. Until the 6-5. I had some chances to break, but he served very well. Only once I missed a return, but he played some aggressive tennis, so I am happy that I overcame a very tough test today.
“Winning the first match is very important in this competition and format. We will see what is coming. I hope it’s nothing too serious, so I wish him a very speedy recovery, and we all hope he is getting back to 100% physically.
“You still have to be very consistent, especially mentally, because it is a bit different, but at the same time, it is also an advantage. You have to use it in the right way, even if you don’t want to win like this. But if there is a chance, you have to use it.
“It also changes when you are set up, and you see him struggle. He is a huge server, and indoors, you have to be very careful.
“It’s not nice, especially for Felix, who has suffered some very tough injuries, so we only wish him the best.”
What Jannik Sinner thought about the Turin crowd
It was a packed-out crowd who turned out to witness Sinner kick off his ATP Finals title defence and they were happy to see their man get the big win.
The home crowd have Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti to cheer on this year, but it’s crystal clear that the big attraction is Sinner when it comes to going deep in this tournament.
Sinner was asked by Sky Sports Tennis what he thought of the crowd and said: “It was very special. One of the most special places I can play tennis. Great atmosphere, walking out, it is very loud. It’s a great feeling, I can’t compare this to any other feeling because you play in Italy with the best eight players in the world, so it was very, very special.”
Sinner now has Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev to play, and given that he boasts a brilliant record against both players, it looks as though he will be progressing to the semifinals.
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