World No. 1 Jannik Sinner discussed his emphatic 6-0, 6-1 victory over Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters tournament in Rome.
Question: How close do you think you were to playing ideally tonight?
Jannik Sinner: It`s hard to say. I felt great on the court, and I think everyone could see that. My main goal for this tournament is to understand my current level. I feel that I`m improving every day, and I`m very happy about that. The result is secondary, but how I felt today is a very positive sign. Things can change in just one day, and one match doesn`t fully reflect my form. But I`m very satisfied. Everything worked well today: serve, return, movement. I`m happy. Let`s see how the semi-final goes.
Question: How did you manage to turn defense into offense against a player like Ruud?
Jannik Sinner: Every player has one or two opponents who are a bit tougher. Today I tried to replicate what I`ve done against him before, but on a different surface. I hit the ball very well. These conditions… playing in the evening against Casper, in my opinion, is a bit better because he can`t put as much spin on the ball. Today everything went my way: a couple of net cords, balls hitting the lines. But any match can turn around quickly. If I had served poorly at 2-1, the score would have been tied – that could have changed everything. I`m glad I handled the situation well.
Jannik Sinner matched a Big Four achievement.
