Although with some difficulties, Jannik Sinner reached the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. The world number 1 lost the first set to Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who played well beyond his usual standards, but in the end the Argentine was forced to surrender in three sets not being able to keep up with the pace imposed by the Italian ace from the baseline.

The 2-time Grand Slam champion did not express his best tennis today, committing several unforced errors and giving the feeling of being a little tired from the physical point of view. Jannik’s season has been long and very tiring, not forgetting that the 23-year-old from San Candido did not have much time to rest after the epic final against Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing.

The champion of the Australian Open and US Open wants to guarantee the mathematical certainty of closing the year at the top of the ATP ranking, which would be a fully deserved goal for the consistency shown by Sinner throughout 2024. The Italian ace has won 61 matches this year and suffered only six defeats, winning six titles including two Majors and two Masters 1000. If he continues at this pace in the last part of the season, Jannik’s 2024 would be one of the best seasons of the modern era.

A precious victory

Sinner struggled more than expected to defeat ATP ace Etcheverry in the third round and will have to raise his level if he wants to achieve a great result also in Shanghai. At the end of his match today, the Italian ace admitted that the rest day will be very useful: “It was a very tough match, physically and mentally, so I am very happy to get through this one. I felt like it was a tough set that I lost. I had my chances to win the set, but these things can happen. Sometimes you have to wait for your chances, which I have done, trying to stay calm mentally, and today that was the key. I’m happy, tomorrow will be a day of rest that I need to be ready for the next match.”

Fatigue is starting to be a factor for all the players, but there are still several big tournaments before the end of the season. After the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, there will be the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy and especially the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Players like Sinner and Alcaraz will also play the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

The rivalry with Carlitos

Recently, the World No.1 also reflected on his huge rivalry with Alcaraz: “Yeah, I feel like it’s always great when we meet, no? We try to push ourself and each other to the limits. He for me is a point of where I work. Also today I saw couple things where I need to get better. It’s not only him, there are also other players. As I said, we both tried to win. We tried to concentrate on every point. Having a great attitude on the court, that makes it happen that it’s a very interesting match always.”

Sinner was defeated by Spaniard ace Alcaraz in all three matches the two young champions played this year. The most unusual aspect is that in all three cases the Spanish ace lost the first set and then came back. Carlitos himself admitted the importance of his rivalry with Jannik: “I’d like to start with Jannik. What can I say about you. The year you’re having is unbelievable. You deserve it.. with your team and the work you put every day… You’re really really humble.

That makes you an even better success. During your whole career and this year, I’d like to congratulate you and your team for great work and great tennis you’re playing. For me, even more important, you and the people around you are great people. I respect you a lot as a player but even more as a person.”

Although both men won two Grand Slam titles in 2024, the 23-year-old Italian has almost 3,000 points of advantage over the Spaniard in the ATP Race. Sinner’s consistency has made the difference until now, while Alcaraz has paid for some downturns during the season.

The 21-year-old from Murcia has a very varied game and full of solutions, but sometimes he struggles to keep high concentration and suffers some really unexpected defeats. To prove this, Carlitos was defeated by Gael Monfils in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and by Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 US Open.