Jannik Sinner Jokes He Feels Old After Playing Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien

Jannik Sinner breezed past Alexander Zverev to schedule the Indian Wells final against Daniil Medvedev.

Jannik Sinner Jokes He Feels Old After Playing Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien

L-R: Learner Tien, Jannik Sinner and Joao Fonseca (Image via X/BNP Paribas Open, Jannik Sinner HQ, Tiempo De Tenis)

En route to his first Indian Wells final, Jannik Sinner knocked out two rising stars in back-to-back matches. In his career’s first meeting with Joao Fonseca, the Italian clinched a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) scoreline. Later in the quarterfinals, he dismantled Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2.

Three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev was no match for Sinner in the semifinals. The second seed hit two double faults as well as eight aces, and Zverev, even though he got one chance, never broke him in that match. During his interview with Sky Sports, the World No.2 revealed that something on his lower back bothered him.

This morning I felt on one serve (something) that bothered me on the lower back. Look, we kind of solved it. It’s good that I have time to rest until tomorrow.

Then Tim Henman joked, “It happens when you get old.” To this, Sinner agreed and quipped, “Playing against Joao and then against Learner, I feel old already.“

Sinner met Tien for the second time in his career following the 2025 China Open final, which he won, and now holds a 2-0 head-to-head lead. The Italian has yet to win a title this year, as he lost his previous two tournaments without reaching the finals.

Novak Djokovic defeated him in the semifinals of the Australian Open, while Jakub Mensik beat him in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. Sinner has a chance to script history on Sunday.

If the four-time Grand Slam champion beats Daniil Medvedev in the final, he will become the first man to win two back-to-back Masters 1000 titles without dropping a set. The last time he won a title at this level was at the 2025 Paris Masters by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Daniil Medvedev says Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are better than the rest

Prior to scheduling his match against Sinner in the final of the Indian Wells, Medvedev upset World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was chasing his third title in the California desert, having won in 2023 and 2024 by defeating the Russian. The win helped Medvedev improve his head-to-head record over the 22-year-old to 3-6.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

At the press conference later, Medvedev admitted that he did not want to make a statement that players from his generation can still challenge Sincaraz.

Firstly, because I am already a bit too old (smiles). I am no longer part of that NextGen. I had a very tough year in 2025, so I have a broader perspective that I must give my best and nothing more because Jannik and Carlos are much better than all of us. We can only beat them in one match. Sascha served to win in Australia, and you never know what would have happened in the final if he had won. This is more of a match, rather than a long-term race or a season. They are very good, and they are much better than us. Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal were also much better than us.

Sinner and Medvedev have met 15 times, with the former winning eight of those matches, including their last three meetings. Last year at Indian Wells, the 30-year-old lost to eventual runner-up Holger Rune in the semifinals. Sinner missed the event last year due to his three-month doping ban.

While Sinner is bidding to win his first title of the season, the 2021 US Open champion has already added the Brisbane International and the Dubai Tennis Championships to his name. He has yet to win a Big Title since the 2023 Italian Open, while Sinner last won a Big Title at the 2025 ATP Finals.

Also read: Aryna Sabalenka Admits Being ‘Fed Up Of Losing Finals’ Recently Ahead of Indian Wells Title Match