Jannik Sinner beaten for the first time in 2024 but his big targets remain in sight

Jannik Sinner’s unbeaten start to 2024 came to an end at the Indian Wells Masters, but this blot on his record book will not dent the confidence of the form player in men’s tennis.

Sinner may have given a glimpse of what may be in his plays for this summer’s Paris Olympics when he entered the men’s doubles in Indian Wells with fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

The pair may be contenders to play in tandem under the Italian flag in the doubles event at the Olympics this summer, but they will need to brush up on their doubles skills if they are to have a chance to challenge for a medal.

Taking on doubles specialists Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, the No 5 seeds in the men’s draw in California, the Italian duo went down to a 7-6(0) 6-3 defeat.

Sinner confirmed he is a talented doubles player as he played a key role in Italy’s Davis Cup win last November, with his win alongside Sonego against a Serbian doubles pairing featuring Novak Djokovic evidence of his all court game.

This was his first appearance in a double tournament on the ATP Tour since he teamed up with Australia’s Alex de Minaur in Beijing last September and he may feel he got enough additional time on court ahead of what looks set to be a hectic few days for Sinner as he aims to win his first singles title at Indian Wells.

Sinner is set to take on Ben Shelton in the last-16 of the ATP 1000 singles draw and he could be on course to face Carlos Alcaraz in a mouth watering semi-final before another showdown with Novak Djokovic in the final.

With three wins from his last four matches against Djokovic, Sinner is playing with a level of belief few players on the tour possess right now and he is relishing the challenge of extending a winning record on the singles court that currently sits at 17 matches.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner reveals his biggest and most important quality

“I’m playing with confidence at the moment, but in the other way, I’m very careful because the match can change very fast,” said Sinner.

“If he breaks me second set on 4-3, going 4-4, then it starts again from zero. So I have to be careful. So yeah, I think that’s it.

“I have a lot of respect for all the players but I don’t have fear to face them.

“I think that’s also a quality, because especially when you play the pressure points and important points, you know, I still like to go for the shots.

“I don’t wait to see what my opponent does most of the time. So if I have to choose one quality, it’s this one.”

The Italian won seven matches en route to lifting the Australian Open trophy and followed it up with five wins during his Rotterdam Open title run and second-round win at Indian Wells.

His unbeaten streak also includes three singles matches at last November’s Davis Cup Finals as he led Italy to their first title since 1976.

And the year 1976 is also significant for Sinner’s latest milestone as that was the year when Panatta won 17 consecutive matches – a record that the 22-year-old has now beaten.

Asked if he knows about the winning streak, Sinner replied: “Yeah, because they tell me all the time (smiling). But in the other way, as I said, for sure you have confidence, yes.

“As I said before, it can go fast to go in the wrong way. I just try to keep it as long as possible. Maybe it’s over in two days; maybe not. We cannot predict the future.

“We live in the present moment. Tomorrow I have one day off or I play doubles and then trying to prepare for the next singles match. The opponents, they know me much better now, so I have to be prepared. I think that’s also an exciting part.”