Meh..

I dunno what you think of Sinner right now, but personally I don't like him.

One

The Italian isn’t dominant in his matches at the moment, just like in his first-round match where he really struggled. Then there was this second round against Borges where he did win in three sets this time, but the way he did it still wasn’t that convincing. I can’t quite put into words what might be going on with him, or what could explain why his game feels more labored right now. I just get the feeling that everything he does is a tiny bit less sharp, and that it leaves the door open for his opponents. Obviously, the mental side of this sport is important, and given the last few weeks where Sinner has appeared extremely weak physically, I think that also opens the door for his opponents to believe they have a chance—whereas before, when he was dominant and steamrolling everyone, nobody really believed in their chances before even stepping on court against him.

Maybe I’m being a bit too harsh on him as well. We shouldn’t forget he hadn’t played since Roland Garros, that this is his return on grass, and that he’s just played two guys considered Grand Slam-level players who can be a real pain to face and who counter very well, and also play very well against top players, quite simply. What matters for Sinner might lie somewhere other than his current level of form, and a gradual rise in level still seems extremely likely. Tomorrow, there’s a match I’m looking forward to a bit more.

I’m looking forward to this match against Brooksby to see whether Sinner is going to raise his level or slog through the whole fortnight. Brooksby can be a tricky opponent when he’s in form, but the American hasn’t been impressive for months, and his recent good matches aren’t enough to make me think he’s already capable of really bothering a player of Sinner’s caliber. I’d even say that a good Sinner, or even an average Sinner, is just supposed to play too fast and too well in every area for Brooksby. I gave a bit more credit to Kecmanovic and Borges, who I really thought were capable of taking a set off him, but with Brooksby, I’m much less convinced.