Jannik Sinner. No. 4 in the world
A calm and happy Jannik Sinner presented himself to the press after 1:30 a.m. Happy, but always in moderation, even if yesterday’s victory pushed him even further into the Olympus of discipline. He had never beaten Djokovic, and never had an Italian beat two number 1 players in the same season.
“Considering all the circumstances, the fact of being in Turin and against the number 1, I think it’s an amazing win. Even if I had lost, I would still have been happy because the most important thing was to stay close to the opponent and believe that I could win in the future.. Obviously the atmosphere was incredible: the audience helped me a lot, it’s a privilege to be able to play here. I’m happy to be part of this atmosphere. I was expecting a tough game, with the crowd and everything… I’m obviously very happy with how I tried to direct everything in the right direction. When the game goes like this, there is of course a nice atmosphere, even if there are no Italians playing here in Italy. when an Italian plays and the game goes like this. These are really close matches. I’ve grown a lot this year and as I always say, at twenty-two all you can do is learn and improve.”
“What matters most is my process, especially this year. It was a good process because we also trained a lot during the tournaments. We didn’t play for a few tournaments to train and improve physically. That helped me a lot to arrive at the end of the season not only physically but also mentally fresh and ready to play, even though I know in my mind that the year is over after here and after the Davis Cup. But it’s all part of the process. I said after Wimbledon that I felt a little closer to Nole this year, even though I lost in three sets in that match. Last year I lost in five sets at Wimbledon, but this year I felt closer. Even today it can happen that I easily lose with two people, right? You never know what this sport is like. But I was pretty confident that I would try to play a good game and in the end I did.”
“My most important victory? If you put all the circumstances together, playing against the world number 1 here in Turin, he has won 24 Grand Slam tournaments, with such an atmosphere and everything, I think he is at the top, at the top, right? Obviously, like I said, the game was really good even if I had lost today. It was really important for me to finish this game too, so I know I can really try to win against him in the next games too. I think it’s one of the best, so…”
“Tennis is a sport where tactics count. Next time I play against him, Nole will do different things to beat me and I have to adapt, the same goes against Carlos. It’s incredible when you see Nole play, he does everything well, he makes everything look easy. At 22, he no longer played slices and volleys like he does now. This trip makes me realize that winning a game is important, but also that there are things that can be improved. Beating Djokovic is different. I had already beaten Alcaraz when he was world No. 1, but this time it’s different because we are players from different generations. No, I saw it on TV.
“Now I have to think about concentrating on the game against Rune. I’m happy to play against him again, we know it will be difficult against a player who plays very well. I’m excited to face Rune, get back on the pitch with a goal, try to do my best and see what happens.”
“Now all I have to think about is resting. How will I sleep? Well… I close my eyes. Let’s be late tonight, tomorrow I’ll see how I feel. Maybe I touch the ball a little, or I don’t touch it at all if I’m too tired. We’ll see what I decide tomorrow.
From Turin,
Marco Mazzoni
