Sinner: “A year made a difficult choice, now I’m happy with my team”

Jannik Sinner stops at a few words of circumstance on the Montpellier field, after the victory over Maxime Cressy in the French ATP 250. “He was good, he served well, good luck with the double…”. But after a shower Jannik rewinds his thoughts, savors the victory which is worth much more than the trophy (ugly, the organizers will forgive us) and the points that bring him back to number 14 in the world, first Italian in the standings ahead of Lorenzo Musetti (n. 20) and Matteo Berrettini, now at 23 in the ranking. The seventh title, that of joining Berrettini, just 3 away from Panatta’s record of 10, is sweeter.

One year after the revolution

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After a difficult 2022, with the decision to change coach by abandoning the secure nest of Piatti Academy to switch to Simone Vagnozzi (later joined by the expert Darren Cahill), this is a victory with a special flavor: “It’s true that last year I won in Umago , but it was still a somewhat complicated season. Now going back to winning a trophy is a beautiful, satisfying feeling, also because I worked really hard”. A title to dedicate with a kiss to the sky to his grandfather who died a few days ago, but also an award for the team with which he started from scratch 12 months ago, taken for mad by a large part of the tennis public ready to sing the de profundis. “It’s true – he said – it was a very big change, a courageous choice, but we got on well and worked according to plan. And now we’re here to celebrate knowing that there’s still a lot to improve. It’s a result which makes us all very happy.” After the victory, still on the pitch, he thanked Vagnozzi, Cahill and Ferrara who “put up with and support me” and then introduced the new physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, ex Virtus Bologna, who took over from Jerome Bianchi a few days ago and was immediately seen as a lucky charm the arrival of the title.

Tsitsi again

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However, there isn’t much time to celebrate. From Montpellier we must immediately fly to Rotterdam, ATP 500 always on the fast indoor that will see him engaged on Tuesday against the French Benjamin Bonzi: “It won’t be easy – he said – because he is a dangerous player and moving from one tournament to another is always a unknown, but I will focus on my tennis, from which I have had very positive sensations throughout the week”. In the second round, another dangerous match would await him, an impotent test against Stefanos Tsitsipas, with whom he was close to winning a comeback at the Australian Open: “Yes, it will be an interesting match – he concluded -, but I have to win the first match. ..”.