Jannik Sinner Reveals Why He Feels ‘Very Strange’ After Having Statue of Himself at Shanghai Masters

World No.2 Jannik Sinner will clash with Daniel Altmaier in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters.

Jannik Sinner Reveals Why He Feels ‘Very Strange’ After Having Statue of Himself at Shanghai Masters

Jannik Sinner (via X/Jannik Sinner Times)

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Jannik Sinner is in Shanghai and is all set to play the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season. But before his opening-round match, he unveiled a terracotta warrior statue of himself.

The Italian clinched his first Shanghai Masters title last year by beating four-time champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Sinner was quite surprised after being honored with the statue and made his feelings known on the same in the pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai.

It’s very strange to see for me, I’m just 24 years old, and seeing a statue at one of the biggest events we play in. I would have never thought to see a statue of mine here at this court, so it’s more like a mix of happy and proud to see that I have a statue here.

Sinner will kick-start his campaign against Daniel Altmaier. He has a golden opportunity to close the rankings gap with Carlos Alcaraz if he wins the tournament, given that the Spaniard has skipped the tournament because of an ankle injury. The six-time Grand Slam champion has 11,340 points in the live rankings, while second-placed Sinner has 9,960.

Sinner will have 10,950 points if he defends his title. En route to the victory, Sinner could meet Djokovic in the semifinals.

The last Masters 1000 title that Sinner won was in Shanghai last year. This year, in the two Masters 1000 tournaments that he played- the Italian Open and the Cincinnati Masters – the 24-year-old lost both to Alcaraz (in Cincinnati, Sinner gave him the walkover). Sinner has four Masters 1000 trophies to his name.

Jannik Sinner on the improvements in his game

After his US Open defeat, Jannik Sinner said his game had become predictable and needs changes. In the pre-tournament press conference, the four-time Grand Slam champion was asked about those changes.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

I’m not the only one making changes in my game. If you ask each player on the circuit, surely each one is trying to change things, seeking to improve certain aspects. Whatever it is we’re changing, it’s never about crazy changes, just adjusting a couple of things here and there, trying to improve as a player, just like everyone does. That’s it, there will be certain things that work a little better than in previous months, but there will also be other areas where we need to keep working.

Before arriving in Shanghai, the World No.2 lifted the China Open by breezing past Learner Tien. It was his third title of the season following the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

It was also Sinner’s second win at the China Open following the 2023 season when he defeated Daniil Medvedev. He reached the final last year as well, but lost to Alcaraz after a thrilling three-set battle. The China Open was also his first ATP 500 title of the season in his second tournament in the 500 category.

Apart from these events, Sinner also played the finals of the Italian Open, French Open, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open, losing all to Carlos Alcaraz. Alexander Bublik is the only player apart from Alcaraz to defeat Sinner this year (in the second round of the Halle Open).

Sinner has confirmed that he will be playing the Vienna Open, scheduled to start on October 20. He had skipped the tournament last year.

It will be his third ATP 500 tournament of the season. At present, players have to feature in four ATP 500 events, including one after the US Open. But Sinner will only be playing three ATP 500 events. Sinner clinched the Vienna Open in 2023 by defeating Medvedev.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Gives his Take on the Debate Surrounding Increasingly Packed Tennis Schedule