Australian Open uphill for Sinner. Bertolucci: "He has to hurry"

Each tournament is its own story, as is each draw. Those that are easy on paper don’t always turn out to be equally easy in reality. Having said that, Jannik Sinner has little to cheer about after the Australian Open drawfirst sloam of the season where he defends (for the second time) the title. Starting from debut match with the Frenchman Hugo Gastonanything but a sparring partner even if the world number 2 has already beaten the 26-year-old Frenchman number 94 ATP in the two previous meetings of 2021. In the second round he could meet the AustralianJames Duckworthand on the third the young man Brazilian Joao Fonseca. Against the Carioca champion, however paradoxical, we can already speak of a sort of generational challenge (Sinner is only 24 years old, but Fonseca is much younger at just 19). A possible Furthermore, the quarterfinal is against Ben SheltonAlways a terrible customer.

In this part of the board, the new Top 5 Lorenzo Musettiis projected towards a potential challenge in the round of 16 with Fritz and in the quarterfinals with Djokovic, but could first faceLorenzo Sonegoin the second round. AlsoFrancesco Maestrellihe is on Nole’s path, being able to face the former number one in the second round.

The Italian derbies and the other Azzurri on the scoreboard

Others cannot be excludedItalian derbiesgiven that they are present in the same half of the boardLuciano Darderi(debut against Garin and possible eighth with Khachanov),Mattia Bellucci(prohibitive debut with Casper Ruud) eLuca Nardi(will challenge qualifier Yibing Wu). The massive presence of Italian athletes makes theAustralian Open drawparticularly interesting for the Azzurri fans.

Paolo Bertolucci: Sinner and Alcaraz candidates for the grand slam

Interviewed in an AGI podcast about the upcoming Australian Slam,Paolo Bertolucciformer Davis blue champion in 1976 and TV commentator, ventured a prediction. According to Bertolucci, the Melbourne tournament is crucial because it “heavily affects the entire season”. He believes that who betweenSinner and Alcarazwill win the first Slam, he will have the chance to complete theGrand Slamas they are the only two potential candidates at this historical moment.

Bertolucci also warned the two champions, suggesting that they “must hurry” before a “third wheel” arrives. Regarding this possible challenger, the former tennis player mentioned two names, both present on Sinner’s path in Melbourne: the youngFonseca (the Brazilian) and Mensik (the Czech)athletes considered on the launching pad.

Sinner confirms Darren Cahill for 2026

On the sidelines of the draw,Jannik Sinnerhas made it known that he will remain with Australian coach Darren Cahillat least for another year. The Italian explained that he had a “nice chat” with Cahill and that it is “nice to be able to share at least another season with him”. Sinner underlined the importance of the coach: “He gives me so much calm and I feel very safe with him in the corner, and not only me, but also the rest of the team.”

The 60-year-old Adelaide coach will therefore continue to be thecoach di Sinnerthroughout 2026, alongside the other coachSimone Vagnozziguaranteeing stability to the teamnumber two in the world.