Sinner close to debut with Navone: who is the Argentine who will challenge the world no.1

There is less and less time until Jannik Sinner's return to the court, who tomorrow - May 10 - will be involved in the second round of the Internazionali d'Italia against the Argentine Mariano Navone. Here's what you need to know in view of the challenge, from the game schedule to the previous matches between the two tennis players. At the top of the world ranking and number one seed of the tournament, the Italian champion will challenge Navone for the first time in his career. The twenty-four-year-old Argentine defeated Federico Cinà in the first round, winning with a double 6-3 and showing great feeling with the red clay, a surface that excites him. "Jannik is the number in the world, he is Italian and will play in Rome, I will try to ruin his return", was his comment after passing the round.

Navone, a life of sacrifices in the name of tennis

The number 99 of the ATP circuit promises to fight, and has always fought to emerge in this sport: until 2020 he couldn't even secure the support of a sponsor, being able to travel thanks to the sacrifices of his parents. Then the turning point, passed through the evolution of his playing style, starting with the change of grip in the forehand. The changes allowed him to make his way and become the "king of the Challengers", the second-tier tournaments: in 2023 no one won as much as him (5 titles) in this context. The following year was the year of his consecration. In addition to the triumph in the final over Lorenzo Musetti at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari, at Roland Garros he became the first player in the Open era to be seeded (number 31) in his first participation in the main draw in a Grand Slam event.

The nickname borrowed from football

Certainly not the most comfortable of opponents for Sinner, also in terms of his character, very charismatic and combative. In Argentina they have nicknamed him “la Navoneta”, a play on words that recalls “la Scaloneta”, the nickname of the national football team led by Lionel Scaloni, world champion in 2022. The nickname evokes the idea of ​​a means of transport where fans can get on: “La Navoneta is the same, but with fewer people because I am much less famous. People call me that because I have charisma. People don't say 'Mariano', they say 'La Navoneta'”.

Sinner-Navone: pitch, time and where to watch on TV

Tomorrow he and Sinner will open the evening program at the Foro Italico. In all likelihood (the time is still to be defined), the challenge will begin around 7 pm. For viewers, here are the channels where you can watch the match, also free-to-air on Rai 2 (streaming on Rai Play), since the state TV has the possibility of broadcasting one match per day. The live broadcast will also be available on Sky Sport Uno and Sky Sport Tennis, streaming on Sky Go and Now.