Jannik Sinner's French Open pursuit hits a snag and it has nothing to do with tennis
Roland Garros: World Number One Jannik Sinner began his French Open campaign with a dominant straight-sets victory over Clément Tabur, extending his incredible winning streak to 30 consecutive matches. But his biggest challenge is not even on the clay court.
World number one Jannik Sinner has kicked off his pursuit of an elusive French Open title, but the Italian maestro has admitted to hitting a frustrating wall with a completely different project away from the clay.
Returning to Roland Garros for the first time since his dramatic five-set heartbreak in last year’s final, Sinner looked in imperious form. Under the night session lights on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 24-year-old comfortably dismantled French wildcard Clment Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, extending his spectacular winning streak to 30 matches.
French Open Day 3: Highlights
However, while his tennis seems practically flawless, his off-court hobby has proven far more tedious. To get himself into the Parisian spirit after lifting the Italian Open title, Sinner and his brother embarked on building a massive, miniature Eiffel Tower using Lego blocks at his home in northern Italy.
The top seed confessed to the Parisian crowd that the architectural masterpiece remains unfinished. "We tried to finish it. We couldn't," Sinner smiled during his on-court interview. "Because they are always the same pieces together, so at some point, it's very boring. But we are not far away. I know after this tournament I'll go back home and send you guys a picture when it's finished—hopefully if we don't miss any pieces."
On the court, Sinner is rarely missing a beat. Having already captured the Australian Open twice, alongside a Wimbledon and US Open title each, a maiden French Open crown would see him complete a coveted career Grand Slam. With his chief rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury, the Italian has arrived in Paris as the overwhelming favourite.
The only minor blemish in an otherwise perfect evening came when Sinner uncharacteristically squandered three match points on Tabur’s serve at 5-4 in the third set. He briefly called for a trainer to tend to a minor blister on his right foot before calmly serving out the victory in the very next game.
Sinner now faces Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerndolo in the second round, looking to become the first Italian man to lift the singles trophy in Paris in half a century. His tennis blueprint is perfectly set, even if his Lego one requires a bit more patience.