Jannik Sinner was among the big names set to start his campaign at the Miami Open on Friday, but a deluge of rain has hugely delayed the schedule in Florida.
Australian Open champion Sinner came into the Miami event expressing some doubts over his fitness after he hurt his elbow and appeared to have some tightness in his calf during his defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells last weekend.
With those fitness questions in mind, Sinner would have been keen to ensure he got his first round match against fellow Italian Andrea Vavassori, but it looks like he faces a long wait to get used to the conditions in Miami.
The court plays a lot slower in this tournament than it did in Indian Wells, yet Sinner confirmed the conditions in Miami suit him as he reached the final last year and beat Alcaraz in a thrilling semi-final during that run.
With rain also forecast for Saturday, the Miami Open schedule could be well behind its expected running order by Sunday and that may force Sinner to play matches on back-to-back days.
That would not normally be a concern for a fit young player, especially when the matches this week are only played over the best of three sets.
Yet if Sinner is nursing any injury worries, he would prefer to have days off in between his matches to ensure his body remains in good shape as he looks to win the Miami title for the first time.
Meanwhile, Vavassori has been speaking about his clash with Sinner, as he is relishing the chance to take on a player who guided Italy to Davis Cup glory last November.
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“It’s a great opportunity to play against him,” Vavassori told ATPTour.com.
“I didn’t know him before because our age is a little bit different, but I think he’s a great guy,” Vavassori said of Sinner. “He’s doing an amazing job with his team. He surrounded himself with great people and I think also his calmness is unbelievable.
“He’s a normal guy also, as he’s said in interviews. He’s a normal guy that is doing an amazing job and following his dreams. It’s inspiring for us also in Italy.
“For sure you could see when you heard the sound of the ball, the explosion, I think you could understand that he was different from others.
“For sure you could see when you heard the sound of the ball, the explosion, I think you could understand that he was different from others. It’s great to see all the improvements he did in these years and also his mentality.
“The sound when he plays forehands and backhands is different from the other players.”
“It’s great to see all the improvements he did in these years and also his mentality.
The two seeded players Sinner could face in the last 16 are both American, with Indian Wells semi-finals Tommy Paual and or 21st seed Frances Tiafoe potential rivals.
The 22-year-old could take on Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in a potential quarter-final matchup, before a likely last four showdown with Medvedev, Ruud, Fritz or Humbert.
Therefore, Sinner and Alcaraz will not meet before a potential blockbuster final in what would be their ninth encounter and a swift rematch of their Indian Wells clash.
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