Sinner eases back into winning ways at Roland Garros

It was normal service resumed for Jannik Sinner on Monday at Roland Garros.

The Italian eased past Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round at the clay-court major, his first competitive match after a three-week injury layoff due to a right hip injury. Sinner struck the ball cleanly and moved well throughout his two-hour, nine-minute victory to set a second-round clash with home favourite Richard Gasquet in Paris.

“Honestly, I’m just happy to be back on court,” said Sinner in his on-court interview. “I was injured, so I’m very happy to be back here. It’s a very special tournament for me. It’s where I reached the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time, so I have some great memories. The last years I didn’t play my best, so I’m just trying to go day by day, building every day, and I’m just happy about today’s performance.”

Starting strong 💪@janniksin gets the day's first win over Eubanks 6-3 6-3 6-4.@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ECBaudhoYh

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 27, 2024

In late April, Sinner withdrew before his quarter-final in Madrid due to his hip injury, and he later missed his home ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome for the same reason. The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings was happy with how his body had held up during his return to competitive action.

“The hip is good. I’m very happy,” said Sinner. “I’m glad that my team and myself worked very hard to be on court as soon as possible. Obviously without my team, it is not possible. For sure, my general shape is not at 100 per cent yet, so we try to build every day.”

By reaching the second round, Sinner has strengthened his chances of rising to World No. 1 for the first time after Roland Garros. Current incumbent Novak Djokovic now needs to reach the championship match in Paris to give himself a chance of retaining top spot ahead of the Italian on 10 June.

Despite the straightforward nature of the scoreline against Eubanks, Sinner was tested on serve several times by the American on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The second seed consistently produced big deliveries at crucial moments, however, and he finished the match having saved nine of 10 break points he faced, according to Infosys Stats.

Eubanks' rise into the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings has been fuelled by his huge serve. The American was unable to find his rhythm with his biggest weapon, however, and Sinner produced some typically razor-sharp returning to break five his opponent five times. Having also notched a straight-sets win against Eubanks at the 2022 US Open, Sinner now leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0.

With Monday's triumph, Sinner improved to 29-2 for the season. He began 2024 by lifting his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open, and the 22-year-old has since also won ATP Tour titles in Rotterdam and Miami.

“I’m obviously happy about what I have achieved in the past months, but my goal is to improve every day,” said Sinner after clinching his first Grand Slam match win as a major champion. “For me, that is more important. I know that I have to improve some things, so I’m happy that I have my team. They push me every day, so let’s see what I can achieve in the future."