Jannik Sinner points out 'unusual' thing about Six Kings Slam after cruising to victory

Jannik Sinner described the indoor court at the Six Kings Slam as 'unusual' after making his mark with a one-sided victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match. The young Italian was simply far too good for his Greek opponent, who looked frustrated as he attempted to turn the tide without success. It was all over in straight sets as Sinner breezed through to secure a 6-2 6-3 victory.

The reigning Wimbledon champion went into the match as the overwhelming favourite to progress and he did not disappoint. The gulf in class between the two players was clear to see as Sinner took full control and cruised to victory without getting out of second gear. Afterwards, he noted the 'unusual' playing conditions in Saudi Arabia with the court playing faster than expected.

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Speaking in his post-match interview, Sinner said: "First of all it's great to be back here and see people watching, so thanks for coming. First matches are never easy so I'm very happy about the perfromance.

"It's a very unusual court, very bouncy and fast and at times it slows down a little bit. There are different situations we have to handle but I'm happy so let's see what happens tomorrow."

He later added: "It's a very interesting situation we have to deal with in the court because it's quite bouncy. With new balls it's quite fast and then it slows down with used balls, so you have to adapt yourself.

"With the serve I tried to mix it up a little bit more. As I said here, it's very bouncy so for the one-handed backhand it's not easy to return with a good kicker. It's instinct but also I'm trying to play with a good mindset."

Sinner, the defending champion, will face Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and he vowed to put on a show against the veteran Serb.

"We all hope that it's a good match, we know each other very well and played against each other many times," he said.

"It's always great to share the court with Novak so we just try to play the best tennis we can. Mostly we are here to enjoy it and bring tennis here. That's why we are here and we will try to play as good as we can."

Speaking to Netflix after stepping off the court, Sinner added: "It's a huge honour to play against a legend like Novak and I always say we need rivalries in this sport.

"It's great to have him still here playing at the highest level and he's a great role model. He's still hungry to win big titles and that's why he keeps playing, it's great and it will be an interesting match tomorrow."