Sonego ready to leave friendship aside against Sinner in Madrid

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Lorenzo Sonego has only nice things to say about Jannik Sinner. Yet that won’t stop him trying to dash the World No. 2’s hopes at this year's Mutua Madrid Open, where the good friends and occasional doubles partners will face off in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000.

“When I go on court, I don’t want to see what happens on the other side of the net and want to stay focused on my game,” Sonego told ATPTour.com ahead of the pair's meeting in the Spanish capital. “I try to beat every opponent in front of me.”

Sonego and Sinner’s friendship is about more than just tennis. Although Sonego is also a part-time musician who has earned over one million listens with one of his songs on Spotify, it is a love of football that often brings the pair together off the court.

“We don’t talk about the music, but we play FIFA together,” said Sonego. “He is AC Milan and I am Torino. We also play cards together and enjoy some moments together every tournament. He is a nice guy, I think the nicest guy on Tour.”

Currently No. 52 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sonego is yet to register a win in four Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Sinner. All four of those matches took place in 2023, and the 28-year-old, who on Thursday beat Richard Gasquet 6-2, 7-5 for his first main-draw win in Madrid, is hoping a change of surface will be the catalyst to halting that run of losses.

“It is the first time on clay," said Sonego. "Something different, of course, and I need to adapt my game to him. He’s an incredible player having an incredible year this year, playing really well, and I need to put all the energy I have on court. I need to play really well, for sure, and be really aggressive on court.”

Friendly fire incoming 😅🇮🇹

Lorenzo Sonego defeats Gasquet 6-2, 7-5 🔜 for a R2 clash with his countryman Jannik Sinner!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/Iq7cgJ77Zm

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 25, 2024

Since Sonego and Sinner’s most recent singles clash last October in Vienna, the pair has lined up five times together on the doubles court. That includes teaming for two crucial match wins during Italy’s run to the 2023 Davis Cup title, and more recently they played together at the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo.

So will having played frequently on the same side as the net as Sinner help Sonego in his bid to upset the top seed in Madrid? Perhaps, but the two-time tour-level titlist will mainly just try to enjoy the occasion at the Caja Magica.

“I try to take something from Jannik’s game,” said Sonego. “We have a nice friendship and he’s a nice guy. We want to just enjoy every tournament. It’s a nice match for sure, two friends [playing each other]. I like to share the court with him, in doubles and in singles as well, and we want to put on a show.

“He is an example for me. I always watch him play every tournament, because I can learn something about the game. It’s really nice to step out with him on court.”