Jannik Sinner feeling primed and ready to defend Australian Open crown

The Italian is chasing a third consecutive Melbourne title and his fifth Grand Slam overall.

Sinner hasn't played a professional match since his dominant run at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he became the first player to win the tournament without dropping a set.

Although he skipped warm-up events ahead of the season's first Slam, he hasn't been idle. His off-season training took place at the Davide Giusti Academy in Dubai, where he spent two intense weeks sparring with compatriot Luciano Darderi.

Despite collecting trophies at two Grand Slams and the Nitto ATP Finals over the past year, Sinner has been focusing heavily on his transition game, particularly his volleys.

"We worked a lot on trying to make the transition to the net," said the World No 2 at his pre-tournament press conference.

"The serve we change a couple of things. But all small details. When you are at the top level, there are the small details make the difference.

"It's not only for one specific player, if you add something to your game, the aim is to get better as a tennis player.

"It's not about beating one guy, it's more about feeling comfortable in every situation. That's what we tried to do in the off-season."

Sinner will open his title defence against Frenchman and 94th-ranked Hugo Gaston, with a potential third-round encounter with Joao Fonseca looming large.

The Italian is in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic, with Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev placed on the opposing side.

Last season, Sinner was part of the second-longest Grand Slam final in history, one that ended in a heartbreaking five-set defeat to Alcaraz after five hours and 29 minutes at the French Open.

The clash was just 24 minutes shy of the record created at the 2012 Australian Open between Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, with the latter prevailing in a truly historic battle.

"We worked a lot physically â- the physical part now is so, so important because the matches, they can get very long but also very intense," he added.

"The tennis now, it's very fast, [so] you have to be at the top physical level as long as you can.

"The season is very long, so you have to manage your body in the best possible way."

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