J. SINNER/B. Van de Zandschulp
6-4, 7-5, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Jannik. How did you feel out there for your first official match of 2024?
JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, it was good. Good for me to get out there, and obviously it was not easy. I won in straight sets, but it was not that easy.
He played well. He served well. But I managed somehow to get the breaks in important moments. I'm happy to be back on court to compete, and that's what I love to do. So it was a nice feeling.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.
Q. Your serve really improved a lot last year. Could you talk us through the process of how you go about during your career to improve your serve. And were you a little apprehensive or nervous the first time you took that new serve into a tournament?
JANNIK SINNER: No, I'm always a kind of player who thinks what's best to do, and if that is the right choice, I don't want to waste time, no (smiling)?
If I have the chance to make it from one tournament to the other I do it, because maybe for the future is better, no?
We have improved a lot. We try still to improve it, yes, but I think we are doing a great job at the moment. Obviously, as I said, first match, it's never easy, but obviously we try to try to improve, no, for the next round, and then we see. I have two days off now, so getting also a little bit more used to the conditions. It was a little bit windy and breezy, but it's good.
At the moment, I feel quite good with the serve. Just trying to make the percentage a little bit higher than today. But, you know, there are days where you serve a little bit better and days where you serve a little bit less good.
Q. Just looking into your 2024 calendar, are you planning on competing at the Olympics? What's your plans in the lead up to?
JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, the Olympics is one of the key moments for certain players of this year. Also mine, because it's the first time that I will play the Olympics, so I'm very looking forward to it. Also to be around the other athletes. I'm getting to know them. You know, it's something, I guess, really special.
But I cannot talk now how this is going to be, because it's the first time for me. But we have to see how to handle also the schedule, because it's a little bit different schedule. Immediately after there is in Canada the 1000 event, so you have to see what's best. I said last year already that the Olympics are going to be one key moment for me, so I give priority to that event. I'm very looking forward to play there also.
Q. Will you be playing singles and doubles?
JANNIK SINNER: This I don't know yet. Singles for sure. Doubles, I still have to talk also with the other guys what they think, what maybe also the best solution is. Let's see.
Q. I wanted to ask you, now that you have The Carota Boys fan club with you here on the other side of the world, I want to ask you, how does that feel to have such dedicated fans here in Melbourne?
JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, it feels good. I was not expecting them to come here, but it's nice to see them in the stands (smiling). Obviously we have made some great memories together, no, with all the support they give me.
Yeah, they are getting more famous than I am slowly (smiling). You know, I'm happy for them, no? It's nice to have them. Obviously I also have to watch out for myself, because, you know, I want to win as many matches as possible, but maybe this support gives me in the key moments maybe this extra belief maybe. Who knows? Let's see how it goes here.
But I'm happy that they are here.
Q. A little bit of rust is to be expected. You haven't played for more than a month. Just wondering how much you need to rely on your tennis intelligence or your tennis IQ in a match like this where maybe you haven't quite found your rhythm just yet.
JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I feel like I started off actually really well, to be honest, for the first match. Then after, I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. Even if you made maybe some matches, you know, this can happen. Maybe you are a little bit tired sometimes. Today I felt like a little bit, you know, the match feeling, it was important today, no, for me, because I was looking forward to step on the court.
Yeah, I think, to be honest, it was a positive opening match. I feel like best-of-five can help me a little bit. You stay on court a little bit longer. You get to play a little bit longer, which is what I like to do. Then we see, no, in the next rounds what's coming.
Q. I know the tournament just started, but do you look farther in the tournament? I want to ask you about semifinal possibly against Novak Djokovic. What do you think about that match? What do you think about that Carlos Alcaraz said he wanted to play against Novak in the final?
JANNIK SINNER: It's Sunday today (smiling). It's so long to go. But for sure you are aiming for these matches, for sure. But in the other way, I go day by day, to be honest. You have one job at a time. Today was one player. Wednesday is going to be a different player, and you have to try to beat this guy, no?
And that's it, to be honest. I don't want to say much more about this at the moment, because I feel like that there is still a lot of work to do to get to this point. So yeah, let's see. Nobody can tell the future.
As I said, obviously we aim to play big matches in big stadiums, so let's see. It's going to be an interesting tournament.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports