Jannik Sinner is back in Melbourne to defend his Australian Open title, with the Italian taking on Hugo Gaston in round one.
Sinner is the second seed at the Australian Open, a tournament that the ATP number two won in both 2024 and 2025.
The Italian beat Alexander Zverev in the final last time out, having beaten Daniil Medvedev at that stage for his maiden Grand Slam title the year before.
Sinner has won two of his four Grand Slam titles in Melbourne, having also won the US Open and Wimbledon during his superb career so far.
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Martina Navratilova praises Jannik Sinner ahead of the Australian Open
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has now discussed the Italian ahead of another visit to Melbourne, having been asked on Tennis Channel why this has been his most successful Grand Slam.
Navratilova responded: “He moves so well, and he’s got that big range and the corners, he covers so well.
“But interesting that we thought [Carlos] Alcaraz would have the same coach and Sinner was not supposed to have the same coach, completely flip-flopped.
“So big surprise there. But Jannik talked Darren into one more year, or maybe more, and he’s just so confident.
“He hits the ball just a little bit cleaner than everybody else, little bit harder than everybody else, and is improving still, and his transition’s gotten better as well. So where do you find the opening against him on this surface?”
Lindsay Davenport agrees with Martina Navratilova on Jannik Sinner
Navratilova’s fellow WTA legend Lindsay Davenport was quick to agree, saying of Sinner: “He’s relentless from the back of the court.
“Someone talked about how a couple of years ago, they saw him out on the courts in Monte Carlo practicing, all of a sudden he’s out there for four or five hours practicing the same shots.
“I mean, he has trained himself to be in a position to where he can knock down the backhand line whenever he needs to on a big point.
“He’s got the confidence because he has all these reps. He’s worked so hard. And now, as Martina said, he moves so well around the court as well, he has finishing power. On this surface, that’s really what you need.
“And last year he had trouble in one match against [Holger] Rune. He was able to pull through that, he never really looked back again. On this surface, and in this place, he should be the favorite.”
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As Navratilova mentioned, Cahill has reversed his decision on Sinner, having decided to stay with the Italian after initially aiming to part ways at the end of 2025.
In stark contrast, Alcaraz split with Juan Carlos Ferrero in the off-season after seven years of working together, during which they achieved stunning success.
But unlike Sinner, the Spaniard is yet to win the Australian Open, only ever making it to the quarterfinals in Melbourne.
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