From Roland Garros heartbreak to Wimbledon glory, Jannik Sinner has been through a lot of ups and downs in recent times. Talking about his incredible triumph at SW19 against his fierce rival, Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian recently said, “The final at Wimbledon provided a different sensation because of what happened a month earlier at Roland Garros. Bouncing back in London and performing at that level surprised me, too.” Following that victory, Sinner took a month off to recover well enough for the upcoming events during the North American hard-court swing.
While sharing his thoughts on his decision during an interview in Ohio on Wednesday, Jannik Sinner said, “The body and mind need to recover and need to understand what happened. I’m very happy I took some time off, seeing my family and friends, and very important people I have around. In the past, I made some mistakes sometimes, starting too early at times.” Refreshed Jannik Sinner will be keen to start off from where he left off last year in Cincinnati. In 2024, he defeated America’s Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the final. This year, he’ll be starting his campaign against a Colombian. Who’s he?
Jannik Sinner will be facing the 29-year-old Colombian tennis player Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round. Galan made his ATP main draw singles debut at the 2015 Claro Open Colombia. Throughout these ten years of his professional tennis career, the Colombian has played nearly 133 matches at the ATP-Tour level, but he’s yet to win a title in his singles career. In this season, he has played seven matches and won just 2. However, if we take a look at some of his notable performances in his career, this right-handed tennis player, who’s currently ranked 144th in the world, qualified to represent Colombia at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In 2022, he made his debut at the US Open as a qualifier, and guess what? Daniel Elahi Galan defeated then-world number 5, Stefanos Tsitsipas, by 6-0,6-1,3-6,7-5 in the first round. Although his dream-run came to an end at the hands of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round, after his impressive win over Tsitsipas, Galan said, “I think a lot of times, you think that the guys at the top are doing things better, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the guys aren’t working hard too...“
Talking about his previous matchups with superstars, he added, “There’s a reason why I got to be on that court to play Djokovic or to play Zverev—because clearly I’m doing the right things, too.” Coached by his dad, Santos Galan, Daniel said that the biggest message he got from his father was just to enjoy his journey, and just go out there and do whatever he can. Jannik Sinner’s R1 opponent at the Cincinnati Open has a career-best ranking of reaching the 56th spot in singles (on July 17, 2023).
Image Credits: Daniel Elahi Galan/IG
His brothers Sat and Xando, along with his sister Rocio, have all played tennis professionally. Daniel Elahi Galan has grown up idolizing Roger Federer and Víctor Estrella Burgos. The Colombian will be looking forward to forcing a massive upset at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters, but beating the world number one is definitely not a cakewalk!
Who are Jannik Sinner’s probable opponents in this tournament?
The ATP Cincinnati Open is the seventh Masters 1000 event on the tennis calendar, and over the past twelve months, the tournament underwent a massive renovation worth $260 million. The venue has been transformed into a complex with more modern and expanded facilities, and commenting on this in his recent pre-tournament interview, Jannik Sinner said, “It’s amazing what they did in one year. Everything has improved so much, but mostly the space they have for us players. Things inside and outside, the dining area is much, much bigger, and when you come from the transportation, it’s like a hotel. It’s amazing. Incredible.“
He feels happy and honored with this revolution, and Sinner will be keen to defend his crown at this venue this season. On Wednesday, Jannik Sinner was seen practising with America’s Christopher Eubanks with a protective sleeve on his right elbow. However, the tennis star confirmed that the sleeve wasn’t due to the injury he had during Wimbledon but rather for added stability.
Talking about his hurdles at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters, if he wins the match against Galan, he will be facing Gabriel Diallo in the third round before setting up a possible clash against Tommy Paul in the fourth round. In the QF, Jannik Sinner’s opponent could be Lorenzo Musetti, followed by yet another probable blockbuster clash against Taylor Fritz in the semis before he gets the chance to face Carlos Alcaraz in yet another epic final. Do you think Sinner can win this title yet again and keep his winning run intact ahead of the US Open?
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