Jannik’s take
Sinner had glowing words for the veteran Gasquet – who played his first Roland-Garros in 2002, the year after the Italian was born.
“The atmosphere has been amazing. I know you guys were cheering for Richard, but it has been a very, very fair crowd,” he said. “He gave as a player, and still gives so much for tennis. It’s so nice to have him around … he’s still playing incredible tennis.”
But in the same breath, the Italian also delivered a veiled warning shot to his rivals. Though he hasn’t lost a set thus far, he thinks he can get even better. As he continues to rebound from a hip injury that affected his preparations for Roland-Garros, Sinner called the win “for sure, better” than his opening triumph against American Christopher Eubanks.
“We try to keep practising, keep trying to improve day-by-day,” he said. “I know I can still improve a couple of things, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Sinner will bid for a spot in the fourth round for the fourth time against Pavel Kotov, who beat Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday night.