Jannik Sinner could be blocked from tournament after teaming up with surprising partner | Tennis | Sport

Jannik Sinner has joined forces with an unlikely partner ahead of the first Masters 1000 event of the year in Indian Wells – but they might not even make it on the court. The world No. 2 has entered the doubles draw with Reilly Opelka, the 6ft 11inch big-server from America. But the doubles field in Indian Wells is so strong that they have now been pushed outside of the main draw cut-off, and are the fourth alternates.

It means that Sinner and Opelka would need at least four other pairs to withdraw before all first-round matches have been completed in order to get a chance to compete together. While it’s something of a surprise pairing, it wouldn’t be the first time the four-time Grand Slam champion teamed up with Opelka.

The pair joined forces at the ATP 250 event in Atlanta five years ago and went on to lift the trophy, winning four matches in a row. It was the first and so far only time they played together, and is Sinner’s only doubles title.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

During his Atlanta victory speech in 2021, Sinner told his partner: “He gets more [credit] because he was serving very, very good and today obviously he was returning well. At the end of the day, we had a lot of fun the whole week. Thanks to him for playing with me.”

Opelka replied: “You get a guy with returns as good as Jannik’s, you can beat anyone. It was unbelievable. Seriously, it was impressive to watch and it was fun to be around a guy like him. He’s 19, but you wouldn’t know it. He’s so far ahead of his age and you can tell his mind works differently than a lot of the other guys’.”

The current world No. 69 clearly saw Sinner’s potential. Since their doubles triumph, the Italian has gone on to win claim Grand Slam trophies, 20 other titles, and reached No. 1 in the world. The 24-year-old maintains a good relationship with Opelka away from the court, and often names him as one of his close friends on tour in Q&A videos.

Sinner has also entered the odd doubles event with some of his other rivals, including countryman Lorenzo Sonego, British No. 1 Jack Draper, and Hubert Hurkacz. But his reunion with Opelka may have to wait, as their combined ranking is not got enough to get into the Indian Wells main draw.

There are plenty of thrilling teams entered into the first Masters 1000 event of the year. As well as some of the usual doubles suspects, including Australian Open champions Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison, and British pair Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, some top singles players have linked up.

Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev has signed up with Learner Tien, the rising American star with whom he has formed an exciting rivalry over the past year. Tien demolished Medvedev in the fourth round of the recent Australian Open, winning 6-4 6-0 6-3. “He played great, super-aggressive. Even when I was making good shots, he was making a better shot back. Didn’t find many solutions today on the court, which is rare, and I didn’t feel that many times in my life like this,” Medvedev said after their latest meeting.

World No. 10 Alexander Bublik has signed up with doubles stalwart Rajeev Ram, while fiery Frenchman Corentin Moutet will team up with Flavio Cobolli, and good friends Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Fils have also entered the doubles draw. And some other exciting teams on the alternate list along with Sinner and Opelka include Ben Shelton and Emilia Nava, and Ugo Humbert and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page