After winning three consecutive Slams on hard courts, Jannik is looking to repeat the feat in New York: the last player to do so was Federer in 2008. The last training session with Safiullin

The wait is almost over. Today, at around 7:30 p.m. Italian time, Jannik Sinner will begin his title defense at the US Open, facing Czech player Vit Kopriva, ranked 87th in the ATP rankings, whom he has never played before, in his opening match. The world number one will make his debut in the 2025 edition of the last Grand Slam of the season not only as the defending champion, but also as the winner of the last three Grand Slams on hard courts (Australian Open 2024 and 2025, US Open 2024), a streak of 21 matches without defeat in the Majors on fast surfaces. However, repeating this feat in New York is no easy task: the last player to do so was Roger Federer in 2008, the last of his five consecutive triumphs.

Ultimately, it will be the court, whose truths are incontrovertible, that will reveal Jannik’s form. His last competitive image, in fact, dates back to him almost in tears on the chair during the changeover in Cincinnati, shortly after retiring from the final against Alcaraz at 0-5, weakened by a stomach virus contracted a few days earlier. By the time he steps onto Arthur Ashe, eight days will have passed since those painful moments, but if we are to believe his words, the shadows of his physical condition are behind him: “I’m fine and I can’t wait to play.” After two days of rest upon his arrival in New York, Sinner resumed training with his usual fierce determination and clear ideas: a mix of sparring to test all possible game situations. And so, after Michelsen and Khachanov, two great hitters who tested his responsiveness, yesterday, on the last day of intense training before his debut, he exchanged shots with the Russian Safiullin, who has similar characteristics to Kopriva. Twice this week, Jannik crossed paths with Alcaraz: last Thursday, he entered the court and the Spaniard had just finished, and there were hugs and pats on the back; on Sunday, they left the locker room together and, before going their separate ways, exchanged smiles and a few words that amused them both. Their rivalry, of course, is the hype of this US Open: no one, except for a few hopeful Americans dreaming of a home victory 22 years after Roddick, can imagine a final other than Sincaraz: it would be the third time this season, an event that only happened in 1964 between Emerson and Stolle.

relax—  If they find themselves facing each other again in the title match, the world number one spot, which the Red Fox has held for 64 consecutive weeks, will also be at stake. But while Carlitos revealed on the eve of his debut that he can’t wait to face him again, Jannik is more cautious: both because of his character and because he needs to understand, finally in a match, whether his recovery from the trouble in Cincinnati is complete. This is also because the draw, which, if it respects the rankings, would see him face Popyrin, Shapovalov, Paul, Draper, and Zverev in succession from the second round onwards and up to the semifinals, could hide pitfalls for a player who is not at his best. In any case, there is an air of confidence around the world’s strongest player: between training sessions, Sinner has alternated appointments with sponsors, playing ping pong with Osaka, and quiet evenings in the hotel with the team, even if the burraco games have been reduced due to the world number one’s new hobby, Lego building. After all, he had to pass the time and take his mind off things somehow. But now, finally, the king can go back to doing what he does best: winning.