Jannik Sinner launched a personal video series on his YouTube channel, opening with the line “Morning guys, what’s up?” The debut episode, released on Friday, gave the four-time major winner’s 184,000 subscribers a relaxed look at his time in Indian Wells, including scenes on the golf course and behind the wheel.

Sinner, who joined the creator community following his second Australian Open title in 2025, answered fan questions and traded banter with coach Darren Cahill during a breakfast segment. Cahill asked, “I have a good question for you. Do you promise to answer this one honestly?” Sinner replied, “OK, I’ll try,” before Cahill pressed, “How many times have you failed your test to gain your motorbike license?” After a brief exchange and Cahill insisting, “NO, answer the question!” Sinner smiled at the camera and admitted, “three times.”

The video touched on small habits and career reflections. In response to “Do you have a pre-match ritual?,” Sinner said, “Usually I always go to the same toilet. But it depends year by year. If the year before I didn’t play well, I change.” He also revealed that he tends to live out of his suitcase rather than unpacking immediately, wants to become fluent in either Spanish or French and “usually” ties his right shoe first.

Sinner identified two career high points. “One when I reached No. 1 in 2024, it was during Roland Garros. I really enjoyed that moment,” he said. “And the other one was when I won Wimbledon. It was not even a dream, because it was unrealistic when I was young to win such a big tournament. Winning the title with my parents there, my brother, great friends. It was for sure the happiest moment I ever had on a tennis court.”

The world No. 2 enters the season following a dominant run in the Sunshine Double, completing the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open without dropping a set and bringing his career trophy total to 26.

Frances Tiafoe edged past Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in his clay-court opening match at the ATP 250 event, doing enough with his serve to prevail in heavy conditions after afternoon showers. The second-seeded American finished the match threading big first serves through a grinding opponent while a group of NBA players watched from the stands.

“Them wanting to come is awesome,” said Tiafoe of the four Houston Rockets in attendance. “They’ve got a different respect for [tennis] once they come live.” The crowd included Kevin Durant and Rockets teammates Amen Thompson, Clint Capela and Jeff Green.

Durant did not see the finish. “I seen KD left when I went three sets—he’s old as hell, so he had to go back and get some rest,” joked Tiafoe after his 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory. “Especially when he left, I was like, ‘Yeah, definitely got to get my mind right and get this match done.’”

Tiafoe battled through sticky courts and multiple long rallies, changing ends in several extended exchanges while wearing pink Lululemon shirts; he had 10 in his bag. Hijikata, the 102nd-ranked Australian, put pressure on Tiafoe by retrieving consistently and turning defense into attack, and he landed a higher percentage of first serves overall. Still, Tiafoe’s weaponry on first delivery proved decisive: the American won 79 percent of his first serves, including 12 aces, and dominated the decider behind those kicks and placements.

Hijikata produced two break-point opportunities in the third set but failed to convert. Tiafoe won 18 of 20 first-serve points in the decider before closing out the match with a break of his own.

“It was pretty physical,” Tiafoe said after his first clay-court match of the season, but, “it’s good, it’s kind of what you want, get your feet under you.” “Had some good rallies, long games. Rinky played pretty well tonight. Happy to get through in the end.” Both Tiafoe and Durant have commitments tomorrow in their respective sports, and the invitation for cross-sport support remains open.

Rafael Jodar advanced to his first tour-level quarterfinal in Marrakech, accomplishing the milestone at the Grand Prix Hassan II in his first ATP clay-court event. The 19-year-old, who has just made his debut inside the Top 100, followed an opening-round win over Dusan Lajovic with a victory over No. 4 seed Tomas Machac, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

A former University of Virginia player, Jodar secured the decisive break in the fourth game of the final set and later saved a pair of break points to hold for 5-2. He served out the match at love to record his third Top 70 win of the season.

“It was a really tough match. I knew Tomas came playing very well in the last few tournaments. I had to be there from the first point,” Jodar said in an on-court interview afterwards.

Asked about Spain’s history of gritty competitors, the Madrid native added, “Every Spanish player is a warrior. From Nadal to Alcaraz, everyone is a fighter… It’s in our DNA,” the 19-year-old said afterwards.

Jodar has risen rapidly this season. Ranked No. 911 this time last year, he is now World No. 89 and coming off a third-round showing at the Miami Open. Since winning his tour-level debut at the Australian Open, Jodar is 7-6 at the highest level of the sport.

The quarterfinal appearance marks another step in a breakout stretch for the young Spaniard, who combined collegiate experience with early success on the ATP Tour. His win over Machac underlined his ability to convert key moments and to close matches under pressure, building on results that have pushed him into the Top 100 for the first time.