Jannik Sinner says he will "try to hurt" Rafael Nadal with his game, claims he has "more weapons" than he had at RG last year
Teenage sensation Jannik Sinner has finally got another chance to lock horns with Rafael Nadal on clay, after their much-talked-about match last year. Sinner will face Nadal in the second round of the 2021 Italian Open on Wednesday, and the Italian claimed ahead of the clash that he is ready for the challenge.
Jannik Sinner's first and only meeting with Rafael Nadal on tour came at Roland Garros in 2020. Sinner matched Nadal for vast stretches of that match, and even served for the first set, but his inexperience eventually came to the fore and he ended up losing in straight sets.
The two were projected to face each other at the recently concluded Barcelona Open and Madrid Open too. However, Sinner fell short by one round on both occasions.
During his press conference after beating Ugo Humbert in the first round on Monday, Jannik Sinner admitted that Rafael Nadal is more well-versed with his game than the other way round. Sinner asserted, however, that he is keen to take the game to Nadal; he believes that with the right preparation, he can do some damage to the 34-year-old.
"I know him but now he knows more than I do," Jannik Sinner said about Rafael Nadal. "It will be an important moment for me, let's see how it goes. I will enter the field with the right mentality and I will try to hurt him with my game. Now with my team we will try to understand what I can do better than last time. This is a sport of situations and for each one you have to find the right solution."
Jannik Sinner suffered a shock second-round exit at the hands of the unseeded Alexei Popyrin at the Madrid Open. But the 19-year-old claimed on Monday that the loss didn't set any alarm bells ringing in his team, and that his training went on as usual in its aftermath - with just a little more attention to his serve.
The Italian also stressed that his game has developed by leaps and bounds since his last meeting with Rafael Nadal, which gives him plenty of self-belief ahead of their Rome second-rounder.
"After Madrid, with the team we resumed working according to our usual plan," Sinner said. "No upheaval. Maybe we focused a little more on the service."
"Against Nadal it will be important to have the right mentality," he added. "I know I have more weapons than Roland Garros, but at the same time Rafa who is a great champion will try to put me in difficulty."
Playing against Rafael Nadal on clay is difficult, but every match has its own story: Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner went on to point out the difficulties of facing Rafael Nadal on clay. The 19-year-old did add, however, that every match pans out differently.
Sinner and Nadal trained together extensively in Melbourne earlier this year, and the Italian highlighted how that would have given both players plenty of knowledge about each other's game.
"Playing against him on this surface is difficult, but every match has its own story," Sinner said. "We know each other quite well, as we have also had the opportunity to train together several times. I will try to play my game and we will see in what situation he will bring me."
Like Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner is also an ardent fan of football; he supports Seria A side AC Milan. Speaking about the Rossoneri's recent 3-0 win over rivals Juventus, Sinner revealed he had caught up with the match's highlights along with coach Ricardo Piatti's son Rocco.
"As a fan, I'm very happy, it's always important when you beat important teams," Sinner said. "I reviewed all the highlights with Rocco, the son of my coach Riccardo Piatti. A result like this then is even more beautiful."