Winner of the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner expressed some concerns about his condition going into the Miami event after suffering an elbow injury and seeming to have some calf discomfort after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells last weekend.

Sinner would have been eager to secure his first-round match against fellow Italian Andrea Vavassori given those fitness concerns, but it appears he will have to wait a while to adjust to the Miami weather.

The court moves much more slowly in this competition than it did at Indian Wells, but Sinner proved that the Miami circumstances are to his advantage when he made it to the championship match the previous year and defeated Alcaraz in an exciting semifinal match.

Rain is also predicted on Saturday, which means that by Sunday the Miami Open schedule may be far behind schedule and Sinner would have to play back-to-back matches.

A young player in good shape wouldn’t typically be concerned about that, especially since this week’s matches only last three sets.

However, Sinner would prefer to take days off in between his matches if he is concerned about injuries so that his body stays in good condition while he attempts to win the Miami title for the first time.

Vavassori, meantime, has been talking about his matchup with Sinner. He is excited to face the guy who led Italy to Davis Cup victory in November.

“Playing against him is a great opportunity,” Vavassori stated to ATPTour.com.

Vavassori described Sinner as a “great guy,” adding, “I think he’s a great guy. I didn’t know him before because of our age differences.” “He’s leading his team to incredible success. In addition to surrounding himself with wonderful people, I find him to be incredibly tranquil.

“He’s stated in interviews that he’s a regular guy as well. He’s just a regular man living his goal and doing an incredible job. It’s motivating for us in Italy as well.

“You could have seen that he was unique from the others when you heard the sound of the ball and the explosion, for sure.

“You could have seen that he was unique from the others when you heard the sound of the ball and the explosion, for sure. It’s wonderful to see how much he has improved over the years, both mentally and physically.

“He plays forehands and backhands with a different sound than the other players.”

It’s wonderful to see how much he has improved over the years, both mentally and physically.

Sinner may play two American players in the round of 16, either Tommy Paual, the winner of the Indian Wells semifinals, or Frances Tiafoe, ranked 21st.

The 22-year-old may play Stefanos Tsitsipas or Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, followed by a last four meeting with Medvedev, Ruud, Fritz, or Humbert.

Sinner and Alcaraz will therefore not play until what might be a thrilling championship showdown, their eighth meeting overall, and a quick rematch of their Indian Wells contest.