For a boy from the Dolomites, water is not exactly his natural element and Sicilian slang is even less so. That exclamation, taken from the bottom of the country, is worth more than the national anthem just sung
Tradition? Challenge? In any case, Jannik Sinner, after the triumphant final over Carlos Alcaraz, in the Principality’s Master 1000, climbed onto the platform of the Country Club’s Olympic swimming pool, looked down and exclaimed: “Damn how tall he is…”. For a boy from the Dolomites, water is not exactly his natural element and Sicilian slang is even less so. That exclamation, born instinctively, drawn from the bottom of the country, is worth more than the national anthem just sung and the profession of faith: “Proud to be Italian”. Coach Simone Vagnozzi is there with him because this is not a joke, but a lesson, like the many after an official match, on a training pitch. Vagno, who over the years has pushed Jannik towards new things, provokes: “In your head?”. The Fox mutters: “Yes, of course…”.
His body resists, he doesn’t trust the void that separates him from the water, but his mind orders him to cross it. As over the years it has ordered him to strengthen himself, to endure fatigue, cramps, the heat, to throw the ball differently, to adapt to all surfaces, to the tricks of the mistral… The body still obeys the will. Jannik dives like a candle and emerges a little stronger than before. Carlos Alcaraz, who observes him at the poolside, knows this better than the others. He has just been defeated by the Italian’s head. He explained it: “He played the important points better.” He acknowledged it to Sinner by hugging him: “Grass, concrete, now even the earth… You did a great job”. To improve. Do you know what will happen in Monte Carlo in a year? Jannik will dive head first.
