Jannik Sinner has confirmed that he asked Reilly Opelka to play doubles with him at Indian Wells this year.
Sinner and Opelka have received a wildcard to play Indian Wells doubles, with both players having also committed to the singles draw.
The Italian is into the round of 16 in California, but the American lost in the round of 64 to compatriot Ben Shelton.
He now has a chance to recover with his ATP rival Sinner in doubles, although the exciting pairing has been handed a nightmare draw.
Ahead of their opening match against top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, Sinner has now shared insight into how their partnership came about.
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Jannik Sinner asked Reilly Opelka to play Indian Wells doubles
Sinner told Tennis Channel after his third round singles win: “I asked him if he was down to play and he said yeah, of course!
“I like to play doubles with someone who I feel very comfortable with off the court because I need to have fun when I play doubles.
“We have a lot of attention and tension while we are playing singles, so doubles helps us to work on a couple of things and try to relax and not lose the match feeling.
“At the same time if we lose doubles, it’s also fine. As singles players we are a bit more relaxed!”
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Jannik Sinner’s doubles record ahead of Indian Wells run
As Sinner mentioned, the format should help his singles game, which he will welcome ahead of a blockbuster clash.
After knocking out Dalibor Svrcina and Denis Shapovalov, the second seed meets Brazilian ace Joao Fonseca in the round of 16.
Before that, however, he’ll be keen on a strong start to his doubles run with Opelka, who boasts one title in the format, intriguingly alongside his current partner.
The American and the Italian have a very similar doubles record, with the pair having gone all the way in Atlanta in 2021.
Sinner last played doubles in Halle last summer, losing his opening match while playing alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Sinner has also played with the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur over the years, while Opelka has partnered fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul among others.
| Jannik Sinner | Reilly Opelka | |
| 124 | Career-high rank | 89 |
| 26-25 | Win-loss | 21-25 |
| 1 | Titles | 1 |
How Jannik Sinner and Reilly Opelka won Atlanta in 2021
Sinner and Opelka’s Indian Wells pairing is perhaps unsurprising given their brief but successful history together.
They lifted the trophy in Atlanta five years ago, winning their opening match 6-2, 6-2 against second seeds Jonathan Erlich and Santiago Gonzalez.
That was followed by a 7-6(7-4), 6-4 win over Treat Huey and Benoit Paire, and subsequently a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Reyes-Varela.
Sinner and Opelka then secured the title with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(6-8), [10-3] final win against Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson.
Intriguingly, the pair’s only ever singles meeting also came that year, when the Italian overcame the American in the round of 32 in Vienna.
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