Both Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz have got off to a flying start in Turin! Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets in the first group stage match. Similarly, Fritz also came up with a dominating performance against Daniil Medvedev in his first match at the 2024 ATP Finals. Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz will next face each other in their second group stage match. This will be their fourth meeting! Remember what happened in their last meeting at the final of the 2024 US Open? Despite winning the match quite comprehensively, Sinner now seems to be wary of the threat that this in-form American poses on the Tour. What are the challenges of playing Taylor Fritz?

Just a few days ago, we heard Fritz sharing his thoughts on facing Jannik Sinner. He recalled those epic moments from the US Open and stated, “I learned a lot from that match, too much in fact. Mainly about the aspects of my game that I need to improve. Jannik deserves to be No. 1 in the world, and it was an honor to play this final against the best player in the world.” Now, Sinner has shared a word or two about the American. Currently, the Italian has a very fine edge over the American in their H2H scoreline and this shows us why this contest is more interesting than any other matchup. Can Taylor Fritz win the battle in Turin and level it up at 2-2? Time will tell!

Jannik Sinner is very well aware of the challenges that he’s going to face in his next match against Fritz! During a recent press conference in Turin, a journalist highlighted Taylor Fritz’s incredible serves and his stellar display of resilience in long rallies against Daniil Medvedev in his previous match. What does Sinner think of Fritz’s constant improvement? “Yeah, of course. Felt like he has improved a lot in the past one and a half, two years. Serving much better. Hitting the ball very, very hard. He’s a great competitor. Today he played a great match against Daniil.”

Jannik Sinner further added, “I have to be at my top if I want to win or if I want to get close. I practiced with him in the beginning of the week. It was a very tough practice set or match, however. It’s going to be tough. This I know. I know that I have to raise my level. Hopefully, I can do that, then we see how it goes.“

Both Sinner and Fritz have played some outstanding tennis this season. The Italian has grabbed seven titles this season and out of those seven two are Grand Slam triumphs. While on the other hand, Fritz has won two titles in 2024. It’ll be interesting to see if he can beat the world number one, but during his previous interview before the start of the tournament, Fritz was also spotted highlighting how Jannik Sinner has made a massive improvement over the last few months.

He said, “He’s (Sinner) been so consistent. I would say the most impressive thing is that he hasn’t played a bad match. He’s just been really solid all year. Super aggressive from the baseline, tough to get him on defense because a lot of his defense is playing big out of the corners, almost playing offense. He’s improved his serve so much, massive improvement. He’s become a very good server.” Both these players have improved a lot over the year and they looked quite satisfied with their performance in the first match. What did they say after the match?

“I’m very happy” – Jannik Sinner’s reaction after winning his first group stage match against Alex de Minaur

With this 6-3,6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur in the first match, Jannik Sinner has now taken his H2H scoreline against the Aussie to 8-0! Sinner couldn’t have asked for a better start on his home soil. He looked a bit rusty at the start of this match, but he managed to quickly gather up the momentum in this match and seal the victory against the Aussie.

Reflecting on his thoughts on the match, Jannik Sinner said, “I’m very happy. I started off with some unforced errors, he was playing great in the beginning of the match. I just tried to stay there mentally knowing that at some point my tennis will arrive. It arrived quite early then and I started to return very well. I’m very pleased with the win and hopefully, it can give me the confidence for the next one.” Sinner finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals last year. This year he’d be keen to make the most of his red-hot form! Can he win it in Turin?

“Sinner is a big-time, big-match player a la Novak Djokovic, more so than Alcaraz in a way…He is the favorite (in Turin),” says, the former world number one Mats Wilander. However, the journey won’t be easy and Carlos Alcaraz isn’t the only obstacle on his road to glory in Turin. Taylor Fritz is more than capable of causing a few upset in this year-ending championship. What did he say, though after his recent victory over Medvedev? Well, even Fritz said, “I’m super happy with how I played today.” Now, the question of the hour is, can Taylor Fritz showcase a similar performance against a real contender for the title like Jannik Sinner? Share your thoughts on this in the comment section.