Italian legend denies being envious of Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner is resting after winning the 2024 US Open just over a week ago. The world number 1 has confirmed all the progress made in the last year, especially on the hard court, where he has a really substantial margin over all opponents. The young Italian champion won two Majors in 2024 and two Masters 1000 (Miami and Cincinnati), also triumphing in Rotterdam and on the grass of Halle.
The 23-year-old from San Candido had some physical problems during spring, especially in the hip, which prevented him from playing well on red clay. The two-time Grand Slam champion was also the protagonist of a delicate doping case, but he was declared completely innocent by ITIA due to an unintentional contamination.
If he doesn’t get injured, Jannik is pretty sure to finish the season at the top of the ATP ranking with a margin of more than 4000 points on the first pursuer (Sascha Zverev). Despite missing the Davis Cup last week, Sinner went to Bologna to cheer for his teammates in the tie against the Netherlands.
Jannik extends his team
The Italian ace will be present at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November, where Italy will try to repeat last year’s triumph. The US Open champion will return to action in Beijing, before playing the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. Sinner recently announced that Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio – former collaborators of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic – joined his team after the end of the professional relationship with Umberto Ferrara and Giacomo Naldi (due to the doping case).
During a recent interview, Italian legend Nicola Pietrangeli spoke about Sinner’s rise: “Sinner is now the strongest of all, the numbers and the level of his tennis show it, in my opinion when he is well he is unbeatable. Perhaps only Carlos Alcaraz can bother him, for the others I don’t see any chance.
In the next few years I foresee a duel with the Spaniard to win the most important tournaments. The others are far from their level, especially now that Novak Djokovic, due to his age, is inevitably declining. I would have liked to see Sinner with the Big Three at their best, we would have seen some great things. I am not envious of Jannik as someone wrote, I hope he breaks all my records and I am sure he will succeed. He will have to watch out for injuries but if he can stay healthy he will still take huge satisfaction. The only record he won’t be able to take away from me is that of Davis Cup appearances and victories, partly because far fewer matches are now played in this competition.”
The Italian ace is on fire
The World number 1 will have many points to defend in the last part of the season, as in 2023 he won the ATP 500 in Beijing and Vienna and reached the final at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Speaking with Sport Klub, WTA legend Lindsay Davenport slams the Italian ace: “I am surprised by the handling of the case, recently discovering all that has happened behind the scenes. It doesn’t seem fair to me that Sinner can compete throughout the year while others don’t have the same opportunity. It’s clear that not everyone is treated equally; it seems like everything is about money.”
Although he was found innocent by the ITIA, Jannik’s doping case is not yet officially closed. WADA can still appeal against the acquittal, although this is very remote. The world number 1 has provided a very convincing version of the facts and WADA could hardly win in court.
Top coach Toni Nadal also talked about Jannik’s controversy: “In the week before the start of the competition we were wondering how the incessant controversy generated by his possible double doping could affect him, after the final and his magnificent performance, the Italian has shown once again that he not only has one of the best games on the circuit but also has the temperament to face really complicated situations. Surely the fact that he has a clear conscience has helped him.”
He continued: “Today, he has become a player who is practically unstoppable for the vast majority of his opponents. He is capable of delivering each of his strokes with great speed and of making very few unforced errors. Overcoming him from the back of the court is almost impossible.” Sinner bravely overcame the most difficult moment of his career and proved that he could win great titles even without expressing his best tennis. The Italian champion will try to further enhance an already exceptional season.
