Jannik Sinner "might not watch" Formula 1 race at midnight ahead of Indian Wells final, meets Dua Lipa after SF win

For the first time, Jannik Sinner will get his shot to play for the BNP Paribas Open trophy.

With two semifinals marking his best previous showing in Indian Wells, the world No. 2 confidently booked his place in Sunday’s championship round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alexander Zverev. Sinner did not drop serve during the contest, moving through to his 10th career ATP Masters 1000 final.

Speaking with Steve Weissman and Prakash Amritraj, the 24-year-old will be juggling his priorities. There’s the preparation of getting ready to face Daniil Medvedev on another expected scorching day and then there’s the preparation for following his passion off the court.

Q. Does that quick turnaround affect the recovery, what you’ll do between now and then versus having a day off?

JANNIK SINNER: Yes and no. For me, we’re all quite in shape to play a couple days in a row. You always go on court in any case. There is the tension. In the final days, it’s always very different.

It is also an important night, because there’s also the Formula 1. But it is at midnight, so it’s not ideal. So I might not watch it. Yesterday, there was the sprint race. I always try to find a way to see what I want to see.

Following his chat with the pair of Tennis Channel hosts, Sinner met with Grammy Award winner Dua Lipa and her fiancé, actor Callum Turner for a chat, before continuing with his post-match commitments.

At the time, Sinner's opponent was yet to be determined—though the Italian was asked about both possibilities as standard practice during his press conference.

With Medvedev handing Carlos Alcaraz his first defeat of the 2026 season, Sinner had this to say about the 2021 US Open champion’s effort so far this year.

“He's back to a very, very high level. Very big serve, I feel like. he's returning very well. Very, very deep,” he said of Medvedev.

“Everyone is trying to be slightly more aggressive. Sascha today tried to be more aggressive. He didn't play his best tennis today, I feel like, but everyone is trying to push. And I think Daniil has found again a good balance on court, winning a title in Dubai, coming here, making again great results.”

Sinner has won eight of his last nine clashes with the No. 11 seed after beginning 0-6 against Medvedev.