He should fully savor this triumph. Sunday in Shanghai, Jannik Sinner showed on court how much he deserved this status of world number 1 which he is now guaranteed to keep until the end of the year. With authority, he disposed of Novak Djokovic (7-6, 6-3) who returned to a very interesting and threatening level in the first set. The Italian has perhaps never mastered his subject better than at the start of autumn, but he still has a sword of Damocles hanging over his head, this appeal from the AMA with the shadow in perspective a suspension (one to two years).
So obviously, Sinner was not exultant during the trophy ceremony and he explained this at a press conference. “This year has been very, very hard for me because of other circumstances. So much so that I lost my smile a little bit because I had problems off the court, and I still have them in my mindhe confirmed. It’s never easy to play in these circumstances, but I just tried to enjoy it as best I could on the court. Being successful is great, and then it’s nice to thank all the people who work with me daily and know me better than anyone.”
Djokovic passing, ace and fight: how Sinner flew to win the first set
People think that because you are successful you don’t have problems
The fact remains that despite this great concern, Sinner seems imperturbable and continues to maintain this level of excellence week after week. He has just won his 7th title in 2024, his 65th victory in 71 matches this season (91.5% success), and this under the admiring eyes of Roger Federer, Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero, which further raised the prestige of this accomplishment. The protégé of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill still let out a smile in front of such an audience. But his success no longer has the same taste.
“People think that because you win or are successful you don’t have problems, but that’s not truehe insisted. My situation is not comfortable, I would like not to be in this position off the court and play more freely, enjoy it more. But you have to accept it. I feel strong when I go on court. I try not to think about it, stay focused on everything I do and I give 100% in every training or match. But of course, there are times when I think about it. So, we take successes in a different way. What I learned is that success will never change me as a person, no matter the results.”
Forced to step back, he is all the more formidable
Winning, remaining as demanding in his daily work, is Sinner’s way of coping with the uncertainty and suspicion that surround him. This step back from the relative importance of victory perhaps paradoxically allows him to be more capable of achieving it. When the points count double, he is undoubtedly more aware that tennis remains a game that he could soon no longer enjoy. So you might as well take advantage of it, sink your teeth into the present moment, like during this sensational start to the tie-break of the first set on Sunday, when he further raised his level to impose his law on Djokovic.
“I just try to be very calm, and not get into trouble if I miss shots or if I’m unlucky sometimeshe explained, as if to implicitly underline that he had many others to manage off the court. I just try to push myself with the best energy possible. Every day is a little different, I try to control what I can control: the head of course, and the physical aspect. But the rest, you just have to believe in it and stay calm, especially in the important moments of a match.”
While awaiting the judgment of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in this matter, Sinner has ideally embarked on this end of the season. Given his form and his confidence, he is one of the logical favorites at Bercy and the Masters. So true to his speech, the Italian now wants to focus on what he can improve to collect a few more trophies. Tennis-wise, everything depends on him (or almost everything) at the moment, but he knows that everything could also stop suddenly.
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