Jannik Sinner is in the form of his life this season, but he cannot escape criticism. He has already captured four titles, taken over the rankings for the third time, and is on a 24-match winning streak. Though he has outperformed everyone on the tour, he has still been subjected to criticism. Over the years, the Italian has been described by many as a ‘robot’ on the court due to his consistency and emotionless ball-hitting. However, Casper Ruud has now come to Sinner’s defense, highlighting that his “robotic” playstyle only shows how good he is.
“I see a lot of people saying he looks too robotic, not really criticizing him, but pointing it out. And when you understand how difficult tennis is, the fact that he gives this robotic impression shows how good he is. This sport is not easy at all, and he manages to make everything look easy and natural. It’s incredibly impressive,” Ruud told Ziggo Sport.
The Norwegian further remarked that Sinner has got a target on his back due to his recent success, as the other players are frantically chasing after him.
“All the other players are after him now. The more he wins, the bigger the target on his back. But he keeps beating everyone. It’s just incredible and inspirational to see what he is doing,” he added.
Casper Ruud on people calling Jannik Sinner a robot
“I see a lot of people saying he’s a bit too much of a robot. When you realize how difficult tennis is, if you can make it look robotic, it shows how good you are”
(h/t @sinnervideos via @ZiggoSport) pic.twitter.com/bjgnxBInGz
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 10, 2026
The debate around Sinner’s ‘robotic’ playstyle had been reignited by Joao Fonseca earlier this year. The Brazilian got outclassed by him and Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells and Miami Open, respectively. After facing both the players in quick succession, Fonseca compared their playstyles and branded Sinner as a “robot” while admiring Alcaraz’s flair.
“I think Alcaraz has more arsenal than Sinner. Sinner is more like a robot that just kills the ball and does everything perfectly. Carlos, he can do everything. He can do with topspin, can fire the ball, and he has good movement, goes to the net. He has everything. It’s more difficult to understand the game. He breaks a lot of your rhythm,” he had said.
Sinner would soon address the comments made by Fonseca, but didn’t have anything bad to say about his opinion. Instead, he went on to praise the latter’s perspective.
“Coming from a player who played me the week before and now Carlos here, it was the perfect explanation. I wish him only the best. He is playing an incredible high level of tennis, and I believe will make big steps forward,” Sinner had said, speaking to the Tennis Channel.
With his last defeat coming back in February at the Qatar Open, it is safe to say that Sinner has been way ahead of the rest of the pack for the past few months. He had significantly picked up his form during the Sunshine Double and went on to win both the tournaments without even losing a set.
Sinner continued this form at the Monte Carlo Masters, dropping just one set on his way to the final and defeating Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3 in the penultimate match. The Madrid Open proved to be a similar story for the 24-year-old as he once again lost just one set in the tournament and before handing a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Alexander Zverev in the final.
He then entered the Italian Open as one of the favorites and went on to make a strong start to his home event.
Jannik Sinner proves to be too good for Sebastian Ofner in the first round
Sinner put in another solid performance and commenced his campaign in Rome on a high. He defeated Ofner 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 31 minutes to advance into the R32. However, the match was anything but smooth and was plagued by interruptions.
Having clinched the first set, Sinner was leading the second set by 4-3 when a medical emergency erupted in the crowd. As a result, the match was temporarily suspended. Play would continue after roughly six minutes and would see the crowd-favorite hold his serve to take a 5-3 lead.
Ofner won the next game to make it 5-4, and Sinner then had the chance to serve for the match. But just as he began his service game, a second medical emergency erupted in the stands. The match was once again temporarily suspended.
Sinner was seen chatting with his team as he waited for the play to resume and even hit a few volleys in their direction. The match eventually resumed after a few minutes, and the Italian held on to his serve to record a straight-set victory.
The World No. 1 will be locking horns against Alexei Popyrin in the next round. The two have faced each other three times in the past, and Sinner currently leads the H2H record by 2-1. They had previously faced off in the R16 of the Qatar Open earlier this year, and Sinner had clinched a comfortable 6-3, 7-5 win.
Will Sinner continue his ruthless form at the Italian Open, or will his winning streak be snapped by Popyrin in the upcoming match? Drop your predictions in the comments!
