Jannik Sinner has not lost a competitive tennis match in 2024 but met his match during a recent practice session with a young tennis fan at Indian Wells.
The 22-year-old from San Candido has enjoyed a stellar start to the new season. He captured his first Grand Slam in January's Australian Open, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in back-to-back matches for the title.
Sinner extended his winning sequence by winning in Rotterdam last month, emulating Lleyton Hewitt, who won his next tournament after his maiden Grand Slam success in 2001. The Italian is currently in Indian Wells, looking to continue a career-best start to the year by winning his third title.
And he began his campaign in the desert on a winning note, beating Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and 21 minutes. After a highly competitive first set in which Kokkinakis stepped up to the plate, Sinner cranked the temperature towards the end.
The Italian's defense was impregnable in the second set, breaking serve four times. Sinner will now face Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round on Sunday afternoon, seeking his 14th straight match win on the ATP Tour.
However, he lost an unofficial match to an aspiring tennis player during practice. In a video shared by Tennis TV, Sinner played to the crowd and gave them their wish as he set up the young boy to win two points - one forehand smash and then a backhand winner as those in attendance cheered loudly.
It was a lovely moment for the young fan, who will most certainly not forget it any time soon. Sinner high-fived him at the net as they left the court. The newly-crowned Australian Open champion will return to business mode for the remainder of the tournament, looking to improve last year's semifinal finish.