Jannik Sinner got his second win over Novak Djokovic in five days.
Jannik Sinner admitted he was tired at the Six Kings Slam and wouldn’t be at his best for the final (Image: Getty)
Jannik Sinner has raised concerns ahead of the final at the Six Kings Slam.
The world No. 1 earned his second win over Novak Djokovic in just five days as he beat the 24-time Major champion in Thursday’s semi-final.
Sinner will now face Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s final with £4.6million on the line. But the Italian may not be ready to put up a good fight.
Sinner and Djokovic battled for almost two and a half hours on Thursday night but the world No. 1 ultimately came out on top. Days after defeating the Serb in the Shanghai Masters final, Sinner was made to work as he won 6-2 6-7(0) 6-4.
Although it was only an exhibition match, Sinner and Djokovic gave it their all. The 23-year-old could be seen struggling early in the second set while the world No. 4 later received treatment from the physio.
After booking his place in the final, Sinner confirmed that both of them had been “tired” and admitted he might struggle to control himself in his next match.
“We played a final in Shanghai not too many days ago, I feel like we were both a bit tired, making a few mistakes,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said.
Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic for the second time in five days (Image: Getty)
“But hey, I was just trying to be there, we all love playing here.”
While Sinner is known for his calm and collected demeanour on court, he confessed that things could get tricky when he felt tired. The Italian continued: “I am usually quite calm like today.
“I also get nervous, sometimes I can’t control myself when I am a bit tired, so it is also good that I have another chance on Saturday.
“I may not be at my best or as fresh as possible, but I will do my best and then, as we said, we will try to put on a good show for all of you.”
Djokovic will also be back in action on Saturday as he faces long-time rival Rafael Nadal in a third-place playoff match. He will likely take the match very seriously after pushing Sinner to the limit in the semi-final.
“It was a tough match. I think we all tried to raise our level, trying to play every point in the best way possible,” Sinner said of their showdown.
“Obviously it’s never easy, but, yes, we take it very seriously, trying to improve our game and also for our next matches. We know each other pretty well now against whoever we play, we’re all trying to do our best.”
