Jannik Sinner kicked off his US Open title defence in convincing fashion, easing into the second round.
Questions had been asked about the Italian’s fitness, following Sinner’s retirement during the Cincinnati Open final, questions that were soon answered with a dominant performance.
Sinner defeated Czechia’s Vit Kopriva in straight sets 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, securing his place in the second round of the US Open.
Reacting to Sinner’s first-round win, tennis legend Martina Navratilova highlighted what sets him apart from his rivals on the ATP Tour.
Martina Navratilova says Jannik Sinner ‘moves’ and ‘anticipates’ better than most other players
Analysing Sinner’s performance for Sky Sports, Navratilova focused on the world number one’s movement.
“He moves well forward, into the court or close to the baseline as he anticipates to get a shorter ball,” she said.
“Most players hang back, then they get a shorter ball, then they try to run to it, it’s too late, and that’s what enables him to get on top of that ball early and get on top of the opponent.
“You can see [Vit] Kopriva starting close to the baseline, and it ended up absolutely the opposite way.”
Navratilova believes Sinner’s elite movement has played an important role in the development of his volleys.
“He’s getting better in the volleys, but also, he’s hitting them closer to the net, which makes a massive difference, and it goes back to the position at the baseline,” she said.
“It’s easy to go side to side, but this, going forward… and if you don’t get a short ball, you have to go back, it takes a lot more effort. So you have to be in really good shape for that, and Sinner is.
“That’s what makes a massive difference for him at the net, and that’s why the volleys are better.”
The 68-year-old was impressed by Sinner’s efforts on Arthur Ashe Stadium, as she claims the defending champion played ‘flawless tennis’.
“The flawless tennis that he played, at the same time conserving energy for his next matches, he’s right where he wants to be,” said Navratilova.
“You don’t want competitive matches because you’re playing lousy, if you’re rolling over people, because you’re playing so well, great.
“As the saying goes, you do not win the major in the first week, but you can lose it because you play long matches, then you’re too tired for the second week.
“This is an absolutely perfect match for Sinner.”
She wasn’t the only one impressed, as former British number one Tim Henman shared his thoughts on commentary.
“One way traffic from start to finish, just an hour and 38 minutes,” he said.
“Sinner showing his full repertoire of shots, looking so comfortable, so confident, and obviously fit and healthy after his horrible end to Cincinnati.”
Navratilova and Henman had nothing but positive words to say about Sinner’s efforts in round one, but how did the Italian rate his own performance?
Jannik Sinner was ‘very happy’ with his performance against Vit Kopriva
During his post-match interview, Sinner assessed his own performance and shared how he was feeling physically, a week removed from his retirement in Cincinnati.
“Feels great to be back here, obviously it’s a very special tournament, the last Grand Slam of the year, and the atmosphere here is always amazing, so thanks everyone for coming, for cheering, for supporting,” he said.
“Honestly, very happy that I’m healthy again, that we did our best to be in the best possible shape here, so very happy with today’s match, today’s performance, so let’s see what is coming.
Sinner was then asked if the memories of his 2024 title win came back to him upon his return to Flushing Meadows.
“Amazing memories, obviously every year is different, you come here, starting this tournament hopefully in the best possible way, which I did,” he said.
“I’m very happy to come back here and compete against the best players in the world.”
Sinner certainly got off to a strong start in New York, dropping just four games in round one, but will likely have a tougher time of things in the second round.
The world number one will play Alexei Popyrin next, a player who is no stranger to causing upsets at the US Open.
Just 12 months ago, Popyrin stunned Novak Djokovic in the third round, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
He’ll no doubt look to pick up another shocking win when he plays Sinner on Thursday, August 28.
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