Sinner without fear: save Djokovic to beat him again

The one between Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune is a budding rivalry because, once you’re over twenty, you can’t really be enemies. There is certainly no sympathy between the Italian and the Dane – and it was already seen in the two previous direct clashes – but many more matches still have to pass for this match to become a pleasant sentence for them. This was the case for Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal who, mutually stimulated by each other’s strength, became phenomena together.

the rival

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The third act of Sinner-Rune had suddenly become meaningless for the Italian because a few hours earlier his Polish friend Hubert Hurkacz (he did), by taking a set from Djokovic, had “given” him the arithmetic passage to the semi-final of the ATP Finals. A historic event for our tennis. Adriano Panatta, Corrado Barazzutti and Matteo Berrettini had not succeeded. The void has been filled by Sinner who, at this point, is favored by the bookmakers at 3 against 1, four points less than the odds at the start of the tournament. Today the South Tyrolean will know the name of his opponent in tomorrow’s semi-final: Medvedev, Alcaraz or Zverev. Meanwhile yesterday, with a clear head and the certainty of already being promoted, Jannik played without making calculations. With the evident joy of finding the 12 thousand of Turin still there, all for him. The match with Rune could not be – and will never be – a fake match. Sinner had lost twice out of two, the last time in the semi-final in Monte Carlo last April with a cold and quick final handshake. They looked at each other badly. And off to the sports bar: “Here, Sinner suffers those who have personality”. “Rune and Alcaraz are even younger. Sinner will never beat them.”

growth

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7 months have passed and everything has changed. Jannik played great, he won and in the end he saved Djokovic, the winner of six Finals, the man of all tennis records. The great Ilie Nastase, winner of 4 Masters, had warned him on the pages of the Gazzetta: “Jannik super, but if he wants to win he will have to beat Djokovic again”. Instead Nole is still in the running thanks to Sinner who immersed himself in the atmosphere of the Italian ATP Finals. He’s fine, and he doesn’t hide it, when he’s surrounded by orange typhoid, the color of his people. On Tuesday, after the first match won against Djokovic, the Italian shouted in the middle of the court: “Thank you Torino, we won together. There is no better place to beat a number 1 in the world. I did it with you”. It is the fate of the greats, it is a new phenomenon that “risks” becoming contagious. When it happens, it’s the luck of a sport. The first orange waves in the stands can soon turn into a tide, like the yellow one that accompanied Valentino Rossi’s victories and has become part of the history of motorcycling. It is not a question of sporting faith like Ferrari red, Nerazzurri, Rossoneri, Bianconero…

win again

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Sinner is not a passion inherited from dad or mom. It is a new phenomenon that goes beyond the perimeter of a tennis court. Just look at the Pala Alpitour which looks like the Foro Italico in Rome in Panatta’s time. Day after day Sinner-mania takes shape and materializes in a color, reinforced by the certainty that in the coming years there will be an Italian in the fight for the Slam titles. Together with Alcaraz, Rune himself, Medvedev… And the eternal Djokovic who, at 36 years old, shows no signs of giving up and relaunches, aiming strongly in 2024 also for Olympic gold at Roland Garros, the field of many battles. Sinner’s 2023 has yet to end and “Red November” will see him involved with the national team in the Davis Cup finals in Malaga from next Thursday. At 22, Jannik shoots straight (and hard) towards glory. He is permanently in the leading group, on April 3rd he re-entered the top ten, never left it and climbed the rankings to number 4. Today he is worth one million followers and twenty million sponsors per season. He plays freely: the possibility of challenging Djokovic twice in six days doesn’t scare him, it excites him.