Tag: Giron

Player Features

Giron on Sinner: ‘He pretty much doesn’t have any holes’

American reflects on his late-career surge

January 17, 2025

The Australian Open is widely known as the Happy Slam. That has not historically been the case for Marcos Giron.

The jovial American, who lost in the first round of his first five appearances at the season’s first major, faced Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev in three straight editions of the event.

When the draw for the tournament was made this year, Giron was on court at the Adelaide International facing eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime. After losing that match, Giron went to the cool-down area at the ATP 250 and after finishing up, he asked coach Nicolas Meister who his first-round opponent would be.

This time, Giron drew Yannick Hanfmann rather than a player who has been in the Top 2 of the PIF ATP Rankings like was the case on three previous occasions in Melbourne. The 31-year-old has taken full advantage, advancing to the third round at a major for just the third time.

“It’s tough. You have to play whoever you play. But it definitely helps when you don’t have to play a top-five guy in the world. It was nice,” Giron told ATPTour.com. “Having played top-five guys several times here in Australia, I was relieved to not have to deal with that.”

Giron will need to take down defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner to make the fourth round at a Slam for the first time. But the World No. 46 is alright with that.

“Playing Rafa on centre court here was pretty special. I’ve had some rough draws here in the past,” Giron told ATPTour.com. “It’s nice to have earned myself a chance to play the number one player in the world on centre court. I’m excited for that.”

The pair’s lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting came 15 months ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where Sinner was victorious in straight sets.

“He hits his serves big. His forehand is big. His backhand is big. He moves well. He’s got good hands. He competes every single point from start to finish, and he returns great,” Giron said. “He pretty much almost doesn’t have any holes, he’s got weapons and he’s confident. It’s a hell of a challenge. There were very few guys last year that were able to beat him. It is pretty amazing what he’s been doing and how, and the level he’s sustained.”

How do you prepare for such a big challenge? Giron, like the rest of the world, has seen plenty of Sinner

“You have to scout the opponent. I played him once before… It was different conditions,” Giron said. “I think it’s a mix of trying to expose the couple of things that he maybe doesn’t do well, and then also play my game and play to the best level.

“I’m going to have to be aggressive. I’m going to have to take chances. But I’m going to have to play within myself, and have to do it for a very long time in order to have a chance.”

Giron’s mother, sister and niece were supposed to travel to Australia, but his niece, who is just more than one-year-old, got sick, cancelling the trip. However, Giron is thankful that his family in California is safe given the wildfires that have caused severe damage to families and properties.

“It’s really sad to see that this fire has done so much damage to L.A. Having friends that live there, having been to homes that are there, and for it to all be gone is crazy. It’s sad to see,” Giron said. “It’s motivating for me to play here, being able to do this while so many people are suffering. It sucks to see. Hopefully they’ll be able to take care of it quickly.”

Less than a year ago, Giron won his first ATP Tour title in Newport. He reached a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 37 in August and is continuing to break new ground here in Melbourne.

“It’s really cool. As an athlete, you always wonder, ‘How can I keep pushing myself? Can I keep improving?’” Giron said. “If you don’t, you’re not going to keep succeeding. There are 100 guys that are the Top 100 in the world. If you don’t keep improving and keep building, somebody’s going to take your spot.

“I feel like I’ve done a good job of motivating myself, keeping pushing. I still physically feel good. I’ve got good energy. I move well still. Fortunately, no injuries really. I just try and keep playing.”