Rome [Italy], May 10 : Jannik Sinner who entered the Italian Open having reached the quarter-finals or better at seven of his eight events this season, said that he is not scared to win big matches and he is eager to play in front of the home crowd.
Sinner stated that he is now playing with a different mindset and is not afraid to bet on his ability to win big matches.
"I have a different mindset now. I'm not scared to say that I can win big, big matches. I'm here, I can do it... But in another way, you have to have the right respect for every single player. Every player is so tough. Also emotion-wise, it's sometimes not easy. But if I go in my way, I want to push myself to the limits because I know that, especially there, I can show some very good tennis," ATP.com quoted Jannik Sinner as saying.
Despite getting out of Barcelona ahead of the quarter-finals due to illness and missing Madrid Open the following week, Sinner enters Rome fully healthy and confident.
"I'm very good, to be honest. I took a little bit of time off after some very long tournaments, which is a good sign, I made a lot of good [results]. The start of the season was good and I'm happy to be back here, especially in Rome. It's a special tournament for all Italians and also obviously for me. Physically, we worked very hard for one week now and I'm happy to be here," he said of his physical conditioning, speaking with ATP Media.
He said he has learned to use their support to fuel him after perhaps feeling the pressure of home expectations in his younger years.
"In the beginning, it was not easy to connect with the people, with the crowd, but now I feel that it's natural. Yu play in front of the crowd and they only want to push you, they want to help you to win. I'm happy that I have a chance again this year to play in front of my home crowd. Hopefully, I can make good things happen, which I believe I can do," the Italian said.
The leading Italian favourite Jannik Sinner practised with Novak Djokovic on Monday. The Serbian star is making his 17th appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event and has never fallen short of the quarter-finals.
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