Why there’s dangerous blood between Jannik Sinner and his Aussie opponent as their Melbourne Park conflict looms

Jannik Sinner and James Duckworth have a chequered history – and it could boil over when they clash in the second round of the Australian Open.

Back in 2021, the pair squared off at an ATP Masters event in Canada, with Sydney-raised Duckworth winning in straight sets.

In fiery scenes, Duckworth yelled ‘c’mon’ after winning a crucial point in the match – and it got under the Italian’s skin.

Sinner returned serve by saying ‘cazzo urli’, which roughly translates to ‘why the f**k are you screaming?’ – and Duckworth knows he has to again find a way to unsettle the world No.2 on Wednesday at Melbourne Park.

‘It will be tough,’ Duckworth, 33, said after beating Croatia’s Dino Prizmic in five sets in the first round.

‘He [Sinner] is obviously playing pretty well and he’s pretty good in Australia, but if I come out and play aggressive, I can cause him some problems.

Jannik Sinner and James Duckworth have a chequered history – and it could boil over when they clash in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday

Sydney-raised Duckworth knows he has to again find a way to unsettle the world No.2 on Wednesday at Melbourne Park if he is to orchestrate a huge upset

‘I know it was a couple of years ago, but I beat him once before.’

Duckworth will also look to draw on the spirit of his late grandmother Beryl Penrose, who won the 1955 Australian Open women’s singles and doubles titles.

So where would an upset of Sinner rank among the family’s tennis achievements?

‘Probably not as good as hers – she won it – but it would be awesome and I’ll give it my best,’ the world No.88 said.

‘It’s what you train for, it’s what you put in all the hours on the practice court and in the gym for.

‘It’s why you play tennis, to be in these situations, so it’s really cool.’

Duckworth also joked he would love to face Sinner on the raucous Court 6 where he beat Prizmic, rather than on Rod Laver Arena.

‘I’ll definitely tell (AO tournament director) Craig (Tiley) that, but he’ll tell me where I can stick that idea,’ he laughed.

In stark contrast to Duckworth’s epic five-set battle against Dino Prizmic, Sinner conserved his energy with a first-up walkover against Hugo Gaston, who retired hurt from their match after just 68 minutes

Duckworth, who is contesting his 17th Australian Open and 13th in the main draw, has reached the second round six times – but has never reached the round of 32 in the men’s singles

‘It’ll be a great challenge. I’m looking forward to it, I’ll prepare as well as I can and see how I go.’

In stark contrast to Duckworth’s epic five-set battle, Sinner conserved his energy following a first-up walkover against Hugo Gaston, who retired hurt from their match after just 68 minutes.

Sinner led 6-2 6-1, having shown few signs of rust after a nine-week break between competitive matches.

‘I’d probably say it is an advantage for him, but that’s just the way it is,’ Duckworth said.

‘I’m just going to try and get my body in as best shape as possible and give it a red-hot crack.’

Duckworth, who is contesting his 17th Australian Open and 13th in the main draw, has reached the second round six times – but has never progressed to the round of 32 in the men’s singles.

The veteran is also playing doubles with young gun Cruz Hewitt.