January 27, 2024

He struck first in Turin, where he knocked down Nole in the Masters Cup group stage and then, at the moment of truth, in the final, he bowed down to the Serbian. It happens that just a week later, in Malaga, the final phase of the Davis Cup, he once more attacked the Belgrade player when he had gone all out to settle a pending score with himself in the team competition. Second notice. And now, less than three months later, the scene is repeated in Melbourne, sacred territory for the Balkan, who until now had never fallen in a semifinal on his favorite court, ten out of ten in his favor. He had not lost number one in the Australian Grand Prix since 2018 – when he was beaten by Yeong Chung, who is now missing – and had had 33 victories since the fleeting South Korean lightning struck him that followingnoon. However, here is Jannik Sinner, with the deck giving: 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6) and 6-3, in 3h 22m. The new order of tennis is presented to society in Australia. Where there were two, there are now three.

“Without a doubt, today is the greatest achievement of my career,” says the Italian, a tall man who at 22 years of age is establishing himself not only at the heights, but as a firm candidate for everything from now on. “When you play once morest Novak you know it’s going to be a very complicated match, especially in a Grand Slam, so when you see that you are capable of beating him, the feeling is very good. It was a privilege to be able to play once morest him so many times in November; Each game is different, but you learn in all of them. I have tried to be as calm as possible and keep my plan in mind at all times,” continues the finalist, who has now become the first player of his nationality, man or woman, present at the final of the Australian Open, where the stands of the center sees a before and following. They rub their eyes. Beating Djokovic in his oceanic realm are big words.

“This tournament hasn’t been up to my level, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the beginning of the end, as some people like to call it,” says the 24-time champion, touched rather than sunk. “The streak was going to end one day,” he says, “but it’s only the beginning of the season.” Nole hopes to respond to what is to come, Paris, Wimbledon, the Games, New York, five bullets in the chamber, but as soon as the new course opens he hits a severe blow that erases, at least momentarily, the dream of dreams : distance herself from the Australian Margaret Court, 24 others majors. He will not be able to extend his record in Australia, ten trophies, and above all he guesses that the threat is growing and no longer comes from just one place. He jumped on Alcaraz’s hump at Wimbledon in July, and now it’s Sinner who looks at him and says, hey, dear Novak, I’m here too, big guy.

“It means a lot to me to have beaten him here, but the tournament is not over. I haven’t won it. On Sunday [9.30, Eurosport] It is a final, and the emotions will be different. Everything will be different,” answers the Tyrolean from San Candido, Trentino Alto Adige, bordering on Austria; a competitor who never loses his temper or his north, praised in the locker room for his dedication, his humility and his commitment. The secret is at home.

Respect the times

“I think I owe this to my parents, who have very simple jobs; My father is a cook and my mother serves the dishes in the same restaurant. They have a lot of respect for their work and I think they have transmitted that mentality to me: respect for the work, respect for everyone, learning to accept that anything can happen on the court. The same thing happens there in the restaurant: anything can happen and you have to stay calm. I think that has been good for me. “I don’t want to rush,” he told this newspaper three years ago, when it was already said that behind that red hair and that noodle-like demeanor there was a high-quality competitor. It was all true. Sinner, a tennis player with capital letters, a silent predator.

He commented in that meeting that it is regarding respecting time, that you cannot have everything now, and that a tennis player’s career is long and haste is not a good advisor, quite the opposite. He patiently waited for his moment, respecting the cooking pattern, and is now making his way with the solid foundations that Ricardo Piatti, first, and Darren Cahill have given him today. The real leap comes from the latter. If 2023 resulted in an incessant head-to-head between Djokovic and Alcaraz, the only responder, the last four months describe the definitive rise of the Italian, who until now had not managed to progress beyond the semifinals on a big stage. The Serbian avoided it in July, at Wimbledon. “And that helped me a lot,” he says, while the facts say that today there is no player in better shape or who has won as many games (26, compared to 17 for the Balkan and Medvedev, and 11 for Alcaraz) or titles. (3) October to here.

On a discreet level, but constantly evolving, Sinner has not faltered despite the fact that the big prizes elude him. Far from being discouraged by the tyranny of Djokovic or the rise of Alcaraz, he has become stronger from all angles: physical, technical and tactical. He serves better, moves more freely, gets rid of the vertigo and begins to show his fangs. He can for now with the Spanish (4-3) and is familiar with the number one (3-4). “Matches are not won only on the day of the match. They are won because you feel prepared for a tough fight physically and mentally. I think that following last year, especially the end of the year, I gained the confidence I needed,” he says; “I am very happy for Carlos, for what he has done and what he is doing. He has come further than me. He has won several Masters 1000s and two Grand Slams. “I respect him a lot and wish him all the best.”

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