Jannik Sinner and that taboo to be broken

Adrian Mannarino, Sinner’s opponent in Canada, has fond memories attached to him.

Fresh off a comeback triumph over Carlos Alcaraz on clay in Umag, Jannik Sinner is preparing for his Canada Open debut in Montreal.

The Italian tennis player, in great form of late, has yet to win his first match in the prestigious North American Masters 1000: in fact, in 2021 came an unexpected defeat against James Duckworth, far lower than him in the world rankings at the time.

His opponent in the round of 16 in Montreal this year is that Adrian Mannarino, who has crossed racket against the South Tyrolean on only one occasion: it was the semifinal of the ATP 250 tournament in Sofia, in November 2020. The match was won by Sinner, who then got the better of him in the final as well, putting his first title on the ATP major circuit in his trophy cabinet.

It almost goes without saying that it is absolutely necessary for the Italian to win in order to move up the rankings and to hope to be among the top 8 in the 2022 Race ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.