Jannik Sinner, a 22-year-old tennis player from Italy, has emerged as a serious contender to become the country’s greatest male player in history. Since last year’s Wimbledon, Sinner has consistently been one of the top players in the sport, reaching the semi-finals in London and then going on to win tournaments in Canada, Beijing, and Vienna.
In addition to his impressive performances on the court, Sinner also had a successful run at the ATP Finals and helped lead Italy to victory in the Davis Cup, defeating Novak Djokovic in both events. Just a few weeks ago, he achieved a major milestone by winning the Australian Open and becoming a Grand Slam champion, joining the ranks of his fellow countryman Nicola Pietrangeli.
Pietrangeli, who is now 90 years old, spoke highly of Sinner, praising his skills and predicting a bright future for the young player. However, he proudly noted that his own record of 164 Davis Cup matches for Italy will remain untouched by Sinner’s accomplishments.
Looking ahead, Sinner will aim to defend his title for Italy in Malaga in November, while also seeking to build on his success in Melbourne and secure more notable victories throughout the season. At the Australian Open, Sinner entered as the 4th seed and showcased his talent by defeating five opponents in straight sets, including Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, Sinner faced off against the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, marking their fourth encounter in just two months. In a thrilling match that lasted over three hours, Sinner emerged victorious with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, securing his spot in his first-ever Grand Slam final. Djokovic, who had previously excelled in Melbourne, was unable to find his rhythm and suffered his first loss before the semi-final stage.
Notably, Djokovic failed to create a single break opportunity, a rare occurrence in his Grand Slam career. He also struggled with over 50 unforced errors and faced difficulty with his serve, losing it five times out of the 11 chances presented to Sinner.
Jannik displayed impressive numbers on his serve and return, controlling his shots effectively and outperforming Novak in rallies of up to four strokes. Sinner exuded confidence right from the beginning, leaving Djokovic far behind in the first two sets, a feat accomplished by only a few players in Grand Slam tournaments in the past.
In the opening set, Jannik swiftly broke Djokovic’s serve and secured another break before closing out the set with a 6-1 victory in just 35 minutes. The Italian faced some challenges in the second set, but managed to break Djokovic’s serve twice, ultimately winning the set 6-2 and moving closer to victory after 73 minutes of play.
Djokovic managed to save break points at the start of the third set and improved his serving afterwards, although he struggled to make an impact on Sinner’s serve. The set went into a tie break, where Sinner earned a match point with a powerful serve. However, Djokovic fought back, capitalizing on a forced error from Sinner and ultimately winning the tie break 8-6, extending his chances of a comeback. Undeterred by this setback, Jannik regrouped and refocused, serving well in the fourth set and putting pressure on Djokovic. Sinner secured a crucial break in the fifth game, taking the lead and sealing the victory with a stunning forehand winner on serve at 5-3.
Two days later, the young Italian staged an impressive comeback against the world’s third-ranked player, Daniil Medvedev, triumphing with a score of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in a marathon match lasting three hours and 44 minutes. It was a grueling battle, with Jannik managing to secure one more point than Daniil and both players achieving four breaks of serve.
Medvedev performed better in the first two sets, securing four breaks of serve while losing his own only once, establishing a significant advantage. However, at 4-4 in the third set, Sinner fought off a crucial deuce and managed to break Medvedev’s serve, igniting his remarkable comeback.
In the fourth set, Medvedev had opportunities at 3-3 but failed to convert a routine backhand that could have given him three break chances. Although he eventually earned one break point, he couldn’t capitalize on it and suffered a break of his own at 4-5, allowing Sinner to force a deciding fifth set after an intense three-hour and six-minute battle.
Both players served well in the opening five games of the final set, but Sinner changed the momentum at 3-2. With a powerful forehand winner, the Italian secured a decisive break, building a lead and closing out the match with a service winner in the following game. Medvedev prolonged the battle with a well-executed volley winner in the eighth game, but Sinner ultimately sealed the deal with a forehand winner at 5-3, celebrating his first Grand Slam title at the age of 22.
“Jannik’s success extends far beyond the realm of sports. Witnessing such a young man hoisting the Australian Open trophy fills one with immense joy. The future looks incredibly bright for him. Jannik’s game possesses no weaknesses, although there are always areas to improve upon.
However, it would take him two lifetimes to surpass my record. He has the potential to achieve more than I did in almost every aspect, except for matching my number of Davis Cup matches. I played 164, a feat that Jannik cannot replicate due to the different structure of the tournament,” remarked Nicola Pietrangeli.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org