Jannik Sinner had an extraordinary two weeks at the Australian Open 2024, where he put an end to Novak Djokovic’s impressive winning streak of 33 consecutive matches in Melbourne and staged a remarkable comeback against Daniil Medvedev in the final. Among the fellow tennis professionals who praised the young Italian are Djokovic himself, Carlos Alcaraz, and Medvedev, the three players who rank higher than him.
Sinner has the opportunity to surpass the Russian at the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam and claim the title of ATP No.3, but this can only be achieved by winning the tournament. In the Open Era, no Italian player has ever reached such heights.
“It’s heartening to hear such words, particularly coming from someone who has already achieved great success. Naturally, there will always be immense pressure, but the greatest pressure comes from within myself. I have high expectations for myself, and I always strive to give my best. To become ATP No.1, one must first reach the ranks of number three and number two. This means progressing step by step,” stated Sinner in an exclusive interview with the French publication L’Équipe.
This year, Sinner’s primary objective is to perform better in the Grand Slam tournaments. He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, so surpassing that result will undoubtedly be challenging. However, he aims to excel at Roland Garros and the US Open,” Sinner added.
In Italy, Sinner has inadvertently become a media sensation, following his impressive performance at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The connection he established with the crowd and the attention from Italian media reached indescribable levels.
Everything reached its peak at the Australian Open, as Sinner allowed millions of Italians to dream alongside him during a journey that culminated in his first career Slam victory. Since then, his already growing popularity has soared dramatically.
“In Italy, there is a tremendous amount of focus on me after my triumph at the Australian Open. However, it’s wonderful to share all of this with the fans. Personally, though, nothing has changed. My team and I know what we need to do to improve, and our approach remains the same.
The ultimate goal is always to enhance our performance. Now, my opponents have more respect for me. Simultaneously, they have a better understanding of my weaknesses. I need to be prepared, which is why I immediately returned to training after Melbourne. We shall see how I handle this situation, as I am certainly no longer an unexpected surprise to others.
Most players will have nothing to lose when facing me, and this will alter the dynamics of the game, as they will play with greater freedom,” expressed Sinner in the aforementioned interview with L’Équipe.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org