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Jannik Sinner crashed out of the Truist Atlanta Open at the very first hurdle, falling to a straight-sets defeat by Australian Christopher O'Connell. The Italian lost 7-6(7), 6-4 in the second-round contest at the ATP 250 event after receiving a bye in the first round.
The defeat marked Jannik Sinner's fourth consecutive loss on the men's tour. He was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at Roland Garros following which he suffered first-round exits at Queen's and Wimbledon.
Speaking after the match, Sinner maintained a positive outlook, insisting that he is focusing on the long term.
"How do I stay positive? It’s very easy. I’m 19 years old, turning 20 this year, which I think a lot of people forget," Sinner told the ATP Tour. "For me personally, it doesn’t matter if I win now at 20 or at 23. I think our goal is to become a great player when I am around 23, 24 years old. The process we are doing is [for the] long-term."
The Italian said he hopes to post a few good results in the upcoming hardcourt tournaments in the U.S.
"Today, I was not serving so bad to be honest. In general, I think I was practising well. I didn’t put away one single practice session. I was always focused and obviously the results you cannot see in one or two tournaments," he added.
"It’s going out in a couple of matches and hopefully I’m going to win some matches here in the U.S. swing, which will give me confidence and then after I’ll start to play my tennis, trying to get 100 per cent out of my potential."
Sinner is still in the doubles event in Atlanta. He and Reilly Opelka have reached the semifinals, where they will take on Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel-Angel Reyes-Varela. Sinner will then travel to Washington DC for the ATP 500 event in the American capital next week.
I am just trying to enjoy every journey: Jannik Sinner on career progress
Following his defeat in Atlanta, Jannik Sinner emphasized his desire to maximize his potential. The 19-year-old believes the work he is putting in will yield rewards over the next few years.
"[I am] playing tennis a lot, enjoying playing tennis, working physically and mentally to be in the best possible position when I am around 23 years old. I don’t know if it’s going to be when I am 23 or 22 or maybe already next week, you never know," Sinner said.
"[I am] just trying to enjoy every journey. It just started, so hopefully I can still show some good tennis in the future," he added.
