"I focus on my side. I have a very tough quarter-final in front of me" - Jannik Sinner not too concerned yet about possible semi-final clash against Djokovic

Two-time Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner was asked whether Novak Djokovic has an advantage ahead of their possible semi-final meeting with the 38-year-old not having to play his last-16 match. The Italian sat on the fence while keeping his focus firmly on the quarter-finals after getting past fellow Italian Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2).

There were no problems for Sinner, who was not struggling in the heat of the evening session. The cooler conditions suited him, as he raced out into an ominous lead. Darderi did fight his way back into the match but ultimately he was no match for the world number two.

"I felt it was a really solid performance. I served very well," he said in his press conference. "Playing against Luciano was the first time in an official match, so I was looking forward to it. Things got very tight in the end, but I’m very happy with how I handled those moments today."

He was always on top, despite his opponent charging back at him. "From the third set on, for example, he was serving much better and I couldn’t return as much as in the first couple of sets. You always try to understand where your opponent is going to play. There are certain percentages — whether you play cross-court or down the line — but at the same time, if I had lost the first couple of sets, I would have changed too, like he did today. So it becomes a bit more unpredictable."

Sinner almost came a victim of the intense heatwave currently being experienced in Melbourne. He struggled heavily against Eliot Spizzirri, falling 3-1 behind in the third set while cramping up. After a break when the roof came up, he came back well, but it was still a concerning situation he was in.

Fortunately, his practice session yesterday went a lot better. "Yesterday was a very easy day for me — I only played for nearly half an hour. It’s definitely a bit different when there’s no sun, even if it’s still quite warm outside. It was also a different opponent, and everything is different every day. Physically I felt quite good out there. Everything was OK today, and we’ll see what’s coming in the next round."

Sinner has been primarily playing on the main show court at Melbourne Park, the Rod Laver Arena, every session. As he is the world number two and defending champion, he has a very solid reason to be regularly there.

However, he was moved to Margaret Court Arena for the round four clash, but this change of scenery did not alter anything for him.

"For me, every court here is very nice, and I’m very happy to play on Margaret Court," he admitted. "I felt the third set was a bit different because it got later and the court slows down slightly from around 7:30 onwards. I think that happens on every court. I don’t know exactly how the outside courts play without stadiums around them, but overall it’s more or less the same.

There were some small differences. "It can feel a bit faster because Margaret Court is slightly smaller than Rod Laver. It’s the same at Roland Garros — if you play on Court Philippe-Chatrier or Court Suzanne-Lenglen, it also depends on how much space you have around you. But honestly, I didn’t feel a huge difference."

Trackers are regularly used by tennis players to collect valuable data. However, they are banned from being utilised on court, with Sinner and his rival Carlos Alcaraz both being told to take it off.

Sinner did it with no fuss or questions asked. "There is certain data we like to track on court — not live data, but things you look at after the match. It helps with practice sessions too, like heart rate, calories burned, and similar things. The umpire asked me straight away if it was a tracker. I said yes, and he told me to remove it, which was fine."

For his next match, there was a possibiltiy of using a different method. "There are other options, like wearing a vest, but that’s a bit uncomfortable for me because you feel it on your shoulders and it’s different. But rules are rules. I understand that, and I won’t use it again."

10-time champion Djokovic has been granted easy access into the quarter-finals after Jakub Mensik was forced to withdraw from the tournament. A potential semi-final clash could be on the cards, with Sinner being the more dominant in the fixture in previous times.

He was unsure whether the Serbian had an advantage with a longer break. "I don’t know. I’m in the quarter-finals now too, and I have a very tough match next, just like Novak does," he commented. "There are positives and negatives. In this sport, these things can happen. He’s also had quite fast matches, so sometimes having extra time off can break the rhythm a little. At the same time, it can give you more energy than your opponent — it depends."

His preference was clear, with a tie against Ben Shelton on the horizon. "But for me, nothing really changes. I focus on my side. I have a very tough quarter-final in front of me, whether it’s Casper [Ruud] or Ben. If I reach the semi-finals, I’ll be very happy. If not, it’s still been a great Grand Slam for me."