Jannik Sinner Speaks on the Absence of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at Madrid

World No.1 Jannik Sinner is the outright favorite to win the Madrid Open for the first time in his career. However, the storyline doesn’t just revolve around the Italian in the Spanish capital.

There have been many absentees at the Madrid Open, notably Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Sinner, who has played both this year already, has spoken about these two absentees in particular. Sinner said in his press conference:

As I said, it’s quite complicated for the tournament. He didn’t play last year either, so that’s two years in a row, it’s tough. Novak isn’t here either, which is hard for the organizers to accept, as it’s always different when Carlos and Novak aren’t in the draw. I’d say it’s a unique situation, because we’ve shared many tournaments since last year. In my mind, I know that if I want to face Carlos, it’s in the final, and the road to the final is very long; anything can happen in between.

Sinner was also asked whether he had asked Alcaraz about his arm injury. However, the top seed has said that their discussion at the Laureus Award ceremony wasn’t related to it. He added:

No, I spoke with him, but we didn’t discuss this matter, which I think is quite private. We all saw that he had that splint on, and I hope it helps him get back as soon as possible. It’s a shame not to have him here, nor Novak; they’re the two biggest stars in our sport. I still hope it’s a great tournament, but their absence certainly makes a difference.

Djokovic has been out of action since Indian Wells. The Serb lost in the Round of 16 to Jack Draper, who himself won’t be available in the tournament due to an injury. The British left-hander is also out of the Italian Open.

Jannik Sinner speaks on the importance of Madrid for Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner has discussed the significance of the Madrid Open going into Roland Garros. The Italian made a last-minute decision to play in Madrid, amid rumors he might skip it, as he wanted to recover fully after his Monte Carlo-winning campaign. He continued:

I think the playing conditions here are unique. It’s very high altitude and it can be quite windy at times, so it’s difficult to play, but I believe that every court style and every peculiarity, in every tournament, can help me. I’m trying to improve as a player, and this tournament might be one of the most demanding, due to certain aspects and depending on who you’re playing against, but you have to adapt. I’ve never played well here, so we’ll see how it all goes this year.

Sinner is eyeing a first Madrid title, which would put him at 8 of the 9 Masters 1000 titles. Interestingly, the only Masters 1000 that he hasn’t won outside of Madrid is the Italian Open, which comes after the Madrid Open campaign.

Sinner has always maintained that Roland Garros is the biggest goal of the 2026 season. The Italian came agonizingly close last year, having three championship points in the final against Carlos Alcaraz. However, he came up short.

This year, with Alcaraz potentially hampered and Djokovic under a cloud since Indian Wells, it might be Sinner’s best chance to complete the Grand Slam cabinet. Notably, Alcaraz has already achieved this mark at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Jannik Sinner on the progress of Arthur Fils

Top seed Jannik Sinner has discussed the improvement of Arthur Fils in the 2026 season. The duo are projected to face in the semifinals at this year’s Madrid Open. He said:

He’s playing incredible tennis, very focused on what he needs to do, and physically very strong. He’s also showing great consistency. He won on hard courts, on clay, and now he’s taken the title in Barcelona, ​​which should give him a lot of confidence to do well here, especially now that Rome and Paris are also coming up, with the French crowd behind him. France needs players like Arthur; he’s clearly someone to watch.

Fils is on course to be one of the most improved players of the 2026 season. He has already played two finals this year. The first final came at the Qatar Open, where he lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz.

The second final came at the Barcelona Open, where he beat Andrey Rublev to secure his fourth career title. In addition to that, he reached the semifinals at the Miami Open.

The biggest step Fils took was adding Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Marin Cilic and Novak Djokovic. Ivanisevic had been out of action since a brief stint with Stefanos Tsitsipas last year.

Also Read: Toni Kroos Expresses Words of Admiration for Novak Djokovic at the 2026 Laureus Awards Ceremony

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