Quote of the Day: Jannik Sinner expects a “different” reception from Roland Garros crowd

PARIS—Jannik Sinner says he expects a “different” reception from the Parisian crowds this year, as he set out to temper expectations ahead of his return to Roland Garros.

Last year, Sinner arrived at the clay-court Grand Slam riding a historic winning streak and in dominant form, and reached the semifinals in Paris for the first time. This year, the world No. 1 is gearing up for just his third tournament of the season after spending three months on the sidelines.

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The Italian made a confidence-boosting run to the final on home soil in Rome—the first big clay-court championship match of his career. But in a pre-tournament press conference, he admitted that the physical demands of best-of-five tennis would require an even bigger step up.

“It's going to be different,” Sinner acknowledged. “I felt in Rome that we have had some stats from that tournament where some were good; some were not where I want to be. And that's exactly how I felt on court, so there is a lot of room to improve. Hopefully we are on time to make small changes for here."

“There are no miracles, no? I need some time. Matches are different than practice sessions," he added.

“Best-of-five is going to be a great test for me, trying to understand where I am. Let's see how my body will respond here.”

Sinner started the season on a high with his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open—but spent the next three months out of competition after accepting a suspension from WADA as part of a settlement in his doping case.

That marked the official end of a nearly year-long saga for Sinner, who twice tested positive for the prohibited substance clostebol at Indian Wells last year but was later found to bear “no fault or negligence” for the contamination.

Still, while Sinner may be trying to put the whole ordeal behind him, the famously partisan French crowd is unlikely to let him forget anytime soon—especially with home hope Arthur Rinderknech drawn as his first-round opponent.

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It's definitely going to be different. I know that. But I don't think they have something against me, no?

Q. You got to come back from your suspension in Rome in front of a very positive, supportive crowd. I'm wondering how you think it's going to be here in Paris with the crowd, especially because you're playing (a) French player in the first round... Do you think it will be in a different sort of atmosphere than you had at home?

JANNIK SINNER: It's definitely going to be different. I know that. But I don't think they have something against me, no?

It's right that they support the players who are from here, who are local here. It's the same when I play against American players in US Open. So it's normal.

I got an amazing atmosphere in Rome because I'm Italian. It's right that the player who play in this city or country, that they got more support. So I know that.

Last year I played also against some French players here. So I know a little bit what to expect. Different moment because whatever happened happened. So let's see.

I cannot answer that question.