Jannik Sinner – Our next story is on tennis and no, it’s not about any of the big three. It’s about a new rising star who is bringing Italy newfound glory. He’s truly a sinner on the court (pardon the pun). When he picks up the racket, opponents are left sincerely at a loss.
The Davis Cup concluded yesterday with Italy emerging as the winner of the tournament, and that triumph was propelled by one man – Yanik Sinner. It was after 47 years that Italy managed to lift the trophy, and this win was nothing short of historic. His performance over the last few weeks, in fact, has been incredible. The young talent is the new inspiration for aspiring tennis players both in Italy and worldwide. He’s not just on the road to success, but he is carving a legacy of his very own.
Italy ended its 47-year winless streak at the Davis Cup yesterday, all thanks to Yanik Sinner’s incredible performance. The last time Italy won this tournament was way back in 1976. Nicola Panjali was the team captain back then. Now, Sinner has aced his way into Italian tennis history.
The Davis Cup is one of tennis’s premier events. It builds rivalry between countries who get to bring in their pride and celebration for their country. Yesterday’s final took place in the Spanish city of Malaga, and Italy took on Australia. Mato Arnaldi had already given Italy the first win. He beat Alexi Poin 75-26, 6-4 in the opening singles. Sinner then took care of the second singles title in a match that lasted for 1 hour 21 minutes, by beating Australia’s Alex Deor 63-60 in a comprehensive win in straight sets.
Sinner is just 22, and his hunger for greatness is unquenchable. “I came here with confidence. Throughout the whole month, I played, coming from Turin. I gave my 100% all that I had, and I think the whole team, they pushed every one of each other, and then this is maybe our key why we are standing here with this trophy,” said Sinner.
The Davis Cup final was truly a fierce match, and Italy was up against a country that has a huge Davis Cup legacy. Australia is a 28-time winner of the tournament. But what added an extra layer to Sinner’s confidence was his win in the semis against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. He was riding the high of beating the world number one. The unstoppable Novak was beaten not just once but twice in a single day. This was during the singles and doubles matches when Serbia took on Italy in the semifinal over the weekend.
Yanik Sinner is also only the third man to beat Jokovic twice in 12 days. The first was during the group stage match of the season-ending ATP Finals event, and then in the Davis Cup tournament on November 25th. Only Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have done this before.
Since September, his matchups have been extraordinary. He was pitted against some of the best in the business, and time and again, he has outplayed them. Sinner has beaten nine top-10-ranked players since September. These include some of the most seasoned professionals – Carlos Alcaraz, Daniel Medvedev, Andre Rublev, and Holger Rune.
After seeing him play, even his opponents can’t resist admiring him. Here’s what Alex Deor said after the Davis Cup final: “Yeah, look, I think, you know, I think probably Novak said maybe a week ago, Yanik’s riding this amazing wave of confidence, and he’s playing in indoor conditions with some heavy balls where he can hit the absolute crap out of the ball. He’s seriously impressive, the level he’s thrown.”
Sinner’s ability to gather respect from his rivals speaks volumes about the kind of impact he’s having on the circuit. In this high-octane world of competitive tennis, he is surely the next big name to look out for.