Sinner, a train moving towards the goal
(Gaia Piccardi, sent to Turin) Bananas and handkerchiefs (it’s official: the boy has a cold) at the chosen one’s party. Jannik Sinner mistreats Casper Ruud and in the first Masters final of his career, surprisingly, today he will find Taylor Fritzcapable of beating the #2 favorite, Sasha Zverev, for the fourth consecutive time in the season. Five days after the group match (6-4, 6-4), therefore, the formula of the ATP Finals which forgives errors and allows encores proposes Italy against the United States again, the final of the US Open condensed into two sets out of three of indoor freeze-dried tennis. The president of the ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, the master of steam who this evening during the awards ceremony will announce that the tournament will remain in his homeland for another five years (to be spread between Turin and Milan, once the new Olympic arena is ready), would like to report the best of five sets Masters final, but there is no stratagem that can stop a moving train called Jannik Sinner, launched towards the goal he set himself at the beginning of the year.
The Norwegian Ruud, n.6 in the ranking, immediately ends up under siege. In the second game of the semi-final, there are already two break points for the blue, who breaks through with a forehand. The match ends there, between Casper’s desperate looks at his coach father, while the Sinner machine, between a few sniffs, travels at full speed. Seven rebounds on the first serve, five on the second serve: precision in the details. At the changeover the deejay of the Turin arena plays «Tempo» by Jovanotti. But for Ruud, there is no time. Norge wastes two sensational break points in the fifth game (nice advancing low backhand volley from Jannik in the first), sinking behind 4-1; from that moment Sinner was uncatchable.
The final ovation is now a splendid habit to which the people of Sinner have accustomed their hero. «It’s a great emotion – he says -, it’s really special to play here for me. I remember well the final we lost against Djokovic last year, this time I will try to do better. Regardless of the result, it was a week full of emotions and beautiful moments, which I will remember for a long time. I’m surprised too, it’s not normal to win like this.” How can Fritz worry him, who hasn’t won with him since 2021 (Indian Wells) and on Tuesday was nailed by two surgical breaks? «I don’t care if I’m the favorite – is the answer -. In the final I will try to control what is in my power: my tennis. This is an unpredictable game, the match with Ruud could have been complicated but I was good at staying there mentally and in the second set I raised my level.”
The USA in the last act of the Finals for the first time since 2006 (James Blake) the last obstacle towards consecration: «I find Taylor in a match in which anything can happen. I arrive there optimistic, full of confidence.” He gets there with the 69th victory of the year in the bag, the 10th in a row, the 25th in the last 26 played. He comes to us as the dominant leader of a tennis that he no longer recognizes himself in the Big Three (gathered in Malaga for the farewell to Nadal), with six sets won in Turin and zero lost (36-22 games), with bananas, handkerchiefs and all of Italy ready to celebrate the golden child, in in the meantime he became a man.
