"The most important part is to go on court and enjoy it" - Jannik Sinner relishes the chance to get back into competitive mode

After two months spent away from the court, Jannik Sinner's first official match of the 2026 campaign was abruptly halted after he took a 6-2, 6-1 lead over Hugo Gaston in the first round of the Australian Open, with the Frenchman's retirement ending Sinner's long-awaited return to competitive action.

The Italian was not fazed by the challenge of Gaston one bit, swiping him aside in the opening two sets. Unfortunately, an unwell Gaston had to call it a day slightly earlier than anyone would have wanted, but the signs are there that the reigning two-time champion is in good form.

"I was very happy. We put in a lot of work to be back on court, and it felt great," he said afterwards. "Obviously, it’s not the way you want to win the match, so I wish him a speedy recovery and hope it’s nothing too bad. But from my side, I’m very happy to be back on court."

It looked like a walk in the park for the world number two. He controlled the tempo of the match and aside from the first game never look out of tune. He was asked to pick one thing he was pleased on court today, but he found it tricky to pick out an answer.

"It’s tough to pick one thing. For me, it was just the general feeling of being back competing," he answered. "I’ve put in many, many long days in the off-season trying to become a better tennis player. But at the end of the day, the most important part is to go on court and enjoy it. It’s very special to start the season in a night-session match here at a Grand Slam, in a packed stadium, just trying to do your best."

He relieved a very simple game plan utilised when on court. "I felt like he started off very well, hitting some great shots. I tried to understand his game a little bit. We played a couple of years ago, so things have changed a bit. I tried to understand his playing style and then raise my level, which worked very well."

There is an argument that there is very little more to improve for Sinner when competing on court. The Italian begs to differ, citing his serve as an area that he could improve on, and has been for a while.

"It’s not only since the US Open. I felt like the serve was, and still is, a shot where I need to improve," he said. "It’s the only shot where we can do everything by ourselves, so there is a lot of room to improve."

He delved deeper into the technical changes. "We changed the motion a little bit, the rhythm of the serve. Before it was a bit too fast at the beginning; now it’s a bit slower," he added. "The toss used to be more in front and a bit to the right, and now it’s a bit more back and over the head."

While not being totally comfortable with it, he is going to continue putting in the hard mileage and see what occurs. "At times I still lose it. It’s not a shot where I feel very safe, but at the same time we are working on it. It is one of, if not the most important shot we have, because it can give you so many great things. Let’s see how I’m going to serve this season."

A large part of tennis is on the mental side. You could be the best tennis player in the world but if not at the races mentally, you are a sitting duck. This could bode well for Sinner, who is always striving to improve in this key area. One person he has been in contact with is Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli, an Italian mental coach.

"We’ve talked, Riccardo and I, for sure," he stated. "I haven’t been in his gym, but we are in contact, trying to understand and work on a couple of things. I have my home kit with me, so whenever I feel like I need to work on it, I can."

"It goes a bit by periods, depending on how I feel and what mental state I’m in," he continued. "For sure, there is still room to improve, but I’ve been in contact with him consistently. It’s good to have a stable person from this point of view. He understands me a little bit better now, and over time we understand each other better. I understand his work ethic, and we try to work on that."

The only preparation the four-time Grand Slam champion got ahead of the Australian Open was the Hyundai Card Super Match, facing off against his nemesis and world number one Carlos Alcaraz in what is expected to be the first of many enticing encounters.

"It was great. Most importantly, it was about connecting with people and playing again in front of many people, which was very, very nice," Sinner said. "The level of tennis was a bit different because the surface was not easy to play on, but still the level was good."

The conditions would be quite different to Melbourne, with them playing on an indoor hardcourt in Incheon. However, for Sinner it was about meeting the people and fans who came out in Korea to support them. "I also knew it wasn’t going to impact the start of the year too much because the conditions are very different," he acknowledged. "But it was great to see new fans and new people in Korea. I’d never been there, and I would love to spend more time there in the future. The people were very nice to me, to Carlos, and to the whole team. It was a really nice couple of days, and then we came here. Of course, the priorities have changed now. We try to go as far as possible in this tournament."