Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, issued warning bells for World No. 2 Jannik Sinner as he gears up to potentially face his arch-rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in the summit clash at Indian Wells, provided both the top seeds win their semifinal matches on Saturday.
Stubbs explained her concerns with Sinner’s gameplay in the Round of 16 during the latest episode of the Blocked and Reported podcast.
“From start to finish, we didn’t see the ups and the downs like a little bit of losing focus, and he [Joao Fonseca] really pushed Jannik Sinner last night. I think Jannik would be a little concerned about the fact that, really, he should have lost that first set; he was down in the first set tiebreak,” Stubbs said.
“And then he was also served for the second set of the match and lost that service game. So, there are little tiny concerning things for Jannik, like he didn’t just handle the business like we were expecting him to over the last couple of years,” she added.
She continued:
“And one of the reasons I think was because Fonseca didn’t go wide and he was really solid last night and that gave us a lot of hope that maybe he might be the guy that we have been talking about for the last three years to turn up and really start pressing Jannik and Carlos.”
Sinner played his quarterfinal match against Learner Tien on Thursday night and made light work of the American, dispatching him in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals, where he will now take on the in-form German Alexander Zverev on Saturday.
Jannik Sinner Aims to Bring Out His Best Against Zverev in the Semifinal
After the ruthless win over Tien, Sinner began his post-match interview by congratulating the American on continually raising his level on the ATP Tour, while taking a cautious approach toward his next-round opponent, knowing very well that it will not be an easy task beating Zverev on Saturday night at Indian Wells.
“I have to be very careful. I watched a couple of matches. He’s playing great tennis. I will try to bring the best possible tennis I can. I’m looking forward to this. These are the matches I practise for. Stages are getting bigger and bigger, so I’m very happy to be here,” Sinner said.
The Italian is aiming to reach his first final of the season after disappointing losses at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. Alcaraz will take on Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal on Saturday in the California desert.
Also read:
What Next For Coco Gauff After Indian Wells Heartbreak? American’s Next Tournament & Schedule Update
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