In the Open era only in three played 4 finals out of 4 in the same year
The word to the field. The unquestionable judge. The wait is about to end, after a week spent between restaurateurs sonnellini to recover from the Cincinnati virus, evenings organized by the sponsors with attached ping pong games against Osaka, relaxation with Lego and above all the growing intensity of training, the true thermometer of the condition of the strongest player in the world: today, around 19.30 Italian, Sinner begins his defense of the title in New York against Kopriva, never previously addressed. And as the first statistics, history reminds him that male confirmation, at the US Open, has not succeeded since 2008, when Federer conquered his last title (of 5) in the Big Apple.
away the shadows
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By character and vocation, Jannik is used to remaining focused on the here and now, especially now with the doubts related to the physical condition, that only the first competitive test can dispel. Kopriva, n.89 of the world, ranking built above all with the challenger on earth, should not oppose a resistance too marked to a healthy Jannik, but in the meantime yesterday the n.1, in order not to leave anything of intended, trained with the Russian Safiullin, who has characteristics similar to the inaugural rival of the tournament. But then the scoreboard, towards the prediction (by everyone) with Alcaraz with Alcaraz would offer him in succession, by Ranking, Popyrin, Shapovalov, Paul, Draper and Zverev, an insidious path for a red fox that was not at the top.
Legend steps
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In any case, Cincinnati’s hitch has not changed the beliefs of the insiders and bookmakers, for whom the world of the world remains the favorite of the tournament. Translated for the chronicles, it means that Sinner, already winner of the last three Slam on concrete and therefore in series open by 21 games, in the case of an encore meadows flushing would become the eighth player of history to reach four Slam finals in a year: the first was the American Crawford in 1933. But if the confrontation stone must be the Open era, so as not to be celved on Chi. 1968, the company only managed to three phenomena: Rod Laver in 1969 (when he obtained his second Grand Slam), Federer (2006, 2007 and 2009) and Djokovic (2015, 2021 and 2023). In short, we go into a magical territory populated only by legendary champions.
In addition to them, then, just three others, always in the Open era, raised the cup of a major three times in the same season: Connors, Wilander and Nadal. And if another game for the title between him and Alcaraz, according to the most popular hype of the tournament, would only be the second time since 1964 (Emerson against Stolle) that the same two players would face three Slam finals in the same year (even if Djokovic and Nadal, between Wimbledon 2011 and Roland Garros 2012, cracked 4 times in a row). Sinner, however, can become the only one in the story to win three slams in a year and to lose the fourth having had matches point in the final (cursed Roland Garros …). Yet, remembering what he revealed on the eve, possibly it will not be that memory to disturb him: «As a young man, I said to my parents that if at 23-24 years I had not been at least among the first 200 in the world, I would have stopped for economic reasons. Traveling and having a coach costs a lot, and if I had not achieved results my family could not support him. I was lucky to start earning at the age of 18. As a child I dreamed of the top 100, now everything else is a great extra ». Who led him to the paths of the myth.
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