Sinner has shown remarkable precision throughout his first major title defense, edging through his first round over Nicolas Jarry in a pair of tiebreakers and rallying from a set down to beat Schoolkate, booking a third-round encounter with American Marcos Giron.
“It’s definitely a different feeling, but so many beautiful moments on and off the court happened to me here, in this beautiful place,” the 23-year-old said of Melbourne, where he lifted his first Grand Slam trophy 12 months ago.
“It’s different but I take it as a chance to hopefully do it again. It’s still a very long way to go; we go day by day. Seeing my level today, we know we can improve, which is the most important. Hopefully I can show this in the next round, and hopefully it’s going to be a great tournament again for me.”
Maybe Sinner will treat the crowd to at least one McEnroe-style reaction before the end of the fortnight.
