Sinner-Djokovic, the support of the legends of the 1976 Davis Cup: Panatta, Pietrangeli and…

Turin, Jannik Sinner against Novak Djokovic, in the final to win the ATP Finals. The Italian has in his hands the chance to complete a great feat in men’s tennis that hasn’t been seen in Italy since the 1976 Davis Cup: the protagonists of that victory in Chile push the South Tyrolean on the day of the most important match of his career .

PANATTA“We don’t send best wishes, they bring bad luck, but good luck yes. What else can we ask of you? You can’t play better than this, all week you showed the best tennis and beat everyone, all you need is the last obstacle and we’re all set. Against Medvedev you really impressed me, after losing the second set you immediately understood that you had to think of a completely different tactic and you put it into practice, avoiding continuing to exchange a lot from the baseline In fact you gave him 6-1. Not because the Russian fell, but because he was no longer able to play his favorite tennis. That’s exactly what you do, trying to impose tennis that your opponent doesn’t like: you taught him to everyone. Now there is only one match left to win and I have no advice to give you, you already have good coaches around to do it. But I want to say one thing: the final is won by playing well and serving better. Here the serve, the court Turin is still faster than grass, which is why it is better to avoid playing catch-up and instead try to enter the pitch and look for the winners. Don’t wait, please. You have to be a “Sinner” like you have done these days, always calm, serene, determined, never once has anxiety leaked out, or you have lost concentration. Continue like this and no dramas if a defeat comes, these matches can also be lost. Ah, a favor: keep the maturity shown for next week too, there will be the finals of that tournament that I can’t call Davis and against the Netherlands we absolutely have to win the two singles, because in doubles we are the underdogs on paper. Once we overcome the first obstacle, we should find Serbia, and therefore Djokovic. Does he tell you anything? We can beat him again. You played on equal terms with the number one in the world.”

BARAZZUTTI“Continue like this, Jannik, there is very little left. You still maintain your amazing form which led you to wins against more highly rated opponents on paper. Today you are a much more consistent and solid player, you have practically eliminated those breaks that sometimes cost you the victory of some matches. Djokovic also said it, you can see that you have more courage to play the important points, this means first of all confidence in your own abilities. I remember my experience at the Finals, I got there with little energy after the effort made to qualify. Also for this reason your result is worth a lot, considering that we are at the end of the season and tiredness prevails. Having reached this point, however, we want to see you lift the trophy: it would mean having been able to beat one of the best in the field every day world by playing very tough matches, because every battle of the Finals is a final: if not of a Slam, because it is played over three sets, at least of a Masters 1000. It takes very little to change the inertia of a match at these levels, to move the scale needle. Precisely against Nole you demonstrated that you can crush in the tie break the man who has won the most Slams in the entire history of tennis, once this is done there are no other obstacles to fear. And if they should arise, there is finally a service that gives great security. Finally, I am speaking to you as a former Fed Cup captain: the movement has grown a lot, first with the help of the Italians, then with the Slams of Schiavone and Pennetta, finally with Fognini. Now there’s you, Berrettini, Musetti, Sonego and the others, a group that gives great guarantees and that next week, in Malaga, can achieve a historic result in the Davis Cup.”

PIETRANGELI“Exceptional. Jannik Sinner continues to amaze us so, so, so much. You play easy, you master any situation, you never make a frown, you’re never nervous. Impressive. They say I’m jealous of you, but let’s not joke, at most I was misunderstood: we are talking about two completely different worlds, in this current type of tennis you are the strongest of all, without any doubt. This is why I think I am not exaggerating if I say that next year you will be number 1 and you will almost be able to afford to give a 15 advantage to the others. What you did with the Russian Medvedev was simply crazy, I was afraid that the third set wouldn’t go well and instead you literally took it with balls. You really deserve all this hype, like a good boy which you are. Already reaching the final act undefeated is a small miracle that you deserved. This is why you will understand that even if you were to lose the final, it would still be a great success, a splendid injection of confidence for you and for all of tennis Italian who will have to face the last act of the Davis Cup next week. The team is strong, it’s a shame that Berrettini isn’t there too. We will have to close it without the double being decisive. And then there is the risk of crossing Djokovic again, a panzer, yet you managed to beat him on equal terms and I didn’t cry it was a miracle. As in the semi-final, in my opinion the best victory: the third set left me without adjectives, you didn’t show a minute of difficulty or even a failure. You played the most important points as if you were on the dribble, as a more than experienced tennis player, with a lot of experience behind you. At this point I don’t see who can beat you and I can’t wait to be in the stands enjoying the show, it will be a huge commercial for all of Italian sport. We must not forget that this is a global event and whoever wins, in the end, rises to the top of the world. In the meantime, take this Masters, Jannik, and then the Slams will come too, I’m sure. You are only 22 years old and have a long road ahead of you, the future can only be yours.”

BERTOLUCCI“Jannik, the final you reached in Turin doesn’t surprise me. In fact, I think that we Italians should stop greeting your latest victories with the beating heart of those who didn’t expect them. This is now your level, the level of an absolute champion , destined to play a leading role in today’s tennis and in what is to come. We knew that it was right to expect you, that the path undertaken at the beginning of 2022 would not immediately put you on a downhill path and would be full of obstacles. But with your talent, your work ethic, your constant desire to improve, it was clear that the results would blossom and take you to the noblest areas of the circuit. We have followed with trepidation your growth in service, which has now become a powerful weapon in your hands, we have carefully observed your body change, and those slender legs acquire muscles that have increased the thrust of your legs. And now you are also ready to win the Finals, a dream that for too long seemed distant of the reach of an Italian player. By now you are one of the brightest stars in world tennis, you have added solutions to your game and you are no longer just the most terrible hitter on the circuit: all you have to do is complete the Slam journey, the highest goal for those who are truly intent on change history. I am sure that through the winter preparation you will find yourself in the best condition at the start of the next season and I imagine a 2024 with me sitting on the sofa, with a beer in my hand, enjoying the spectacle of your successes. Because the issue is no longer about the self you will win the most prestigious titles, but only the when you will succeed: perhaps as early as this evening.”

ZUGARELLI“Come on Jannik, now you are ready to do everything, you lack nothing technically and tactically to reach the highest goals of our sport and therefore win the ATP Finals, the Slam tournaments and become number one in the world. And if not Should you succeed in Turin, don’t worry and don’t listen to the voices of those who speak of a disappointment because you now belong to the small circle of champions who will share the greatest victories in the coming years. You were born to play tennis. Because when you beat a monster like Djokovic in the way you beat him means that you are there, it means that your level is that of a superior category player. You arrived in Turin full of expectations, with the pressure of the home player called by force to accomplish a memorable feat, and you were very good and cool at managing all these emotions and showing really high technical qualities. For me, this means only one thing: that you are a leader and it doesn’t scare you, on the contrary it exalts you, the idea of being able to be one of the drivers of the world tennis movement. We Italians have been waiting for more than forty years to relive the moments of the magical seasons of Panatta and Davis’ team, now you are here to bring Italian tennis back to the center of attention and interest of millions of fans. What particularly strikes me, and what increases my admiration, is your propensity for sacrifice and the awareness that through work you can improve even further. Perhaps you are still lacking something from a physical point of view in three sets out of five matches which can last up to 4-5 hours and we have seen in the past that you have paid for something, but I think it is just a question of time and training and you will also be ready to win 5 hour marathons. In the meantime, we’re all holding onto the emotions you’re giving us at the Finals: it seemed unthinkable that they could come from an Italian player.”