James Duckworth swagger with Jannik Sinner: he was one of the few who infuriated him

James Duckworth does not feel beaten already. The Australian tennis player, world No. 86, will face none other than Jannik Sinner in the second round of the Australian Open, and he hopes the crowd can help him accomplish the impossible feat. The Oceanic player, fresh off a’genuine five-set battle in the first round against Dino Prizmic, has never managed to get beyond the second round in his career at his home Slam but remains confident ahead of his confrontation with the Azure.

“I am really, really pumped up. I was in quite a bit of trouble, but I am happy with the way I was able to turn the match around. It is great to be in the second round – said Duckworth -It will be tough, he is playing very well and he is very strong here in Australia. But if I go down the court and play aggressively, I think I can create some problems for him” assures the Australian. In head-to-head matches Sinner is ahead 2-1, but the two have not faced each other since 2021.

In the penultimate match between the two of them, which occurred at the 2021 Canada Masters 1000, Duckworth prevailed in two sets, prompting a rare outburst by Sinner on court. After a forehand to the net by the future world number one, Duckworth cheered boisterously, celebrating his rival&#8217s mistake. An unnerved Sinner had replied to him, “What are you yelling about? ”. Anecdote aside, Duckworth is on the wings of enthusiasm and looking forward to giving the defending champion a run for his money: “It&#8217s why you play tennis”.

“It&#8220s why you train and spend all those hours on the court and in the gym. That is why you play tennis: to be in those situations. It is really great”, continued the Australian, who called out to the audience.

“The atmosphere was incredible in the first match. They helped me so much in the final of the fourth set and in the fifth. It was something unreal, something I will always remember”. Will it be enough against Jannik?”