The Italian travels to Melbourne with the desire to consolidate his throne as world number 1: “Attention to detail will be decisive”. The dream for 2025, however, remains Wimbledon
Fasten your seatbelts, Jannik Sinner is ready for take off. Destination Melbourne, but not only. The goal is to continue to dominate in 2025, extending the lead over rivals and giving fans across the planet new sporting joys. On December 31, following a ritual that had brought good results in 2023, Jannik bowled the last ball of the year. A symbolic value and, given the results of the season just ended, perhaps even a little superstitious. And if at the end of 2023 the last shot was a slice serve, this time Sinner landed a nice “kick”, decisive, determined and successful. New Year’s Eve with friends at the home of the pilot Antonio Giovinazzi, New Year’s Day dedicated to packing your bags and off you go. The world number 1 leaves Nice today to arrive in Melbourne tomorrow where he will immediately try to get up to speed: ten hours of time difference and the summer heat will be the first rivals to defeat. Then Sinner will be able to dedicate himself to the exhibition matches scheduled for the Opening Week of the Australian Open, the opening Slam of the season which starts on Sunday 12 January. First meeting on the 7th against Alexei Popyrin, on the 10th it will be the turn of the friendly match with Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of the few players still ahead of the Italian in head-to-head matches. Then on the 9th, the draw will decide the draw of the tournament where Sinner presents himself with the crown of reigning champion.
Run-up
—
After a fairytale 2024, tainted only by the case of the Clostebol positivity still pending due to the appeal to the Tas wanted by Wada, Jannik starts again with momentum. The end of the season just ended was exhilarating with the victory of the Finals and of Davis to crown an extraordinary 12 months, enriched by the victory of the first two Slams of his career and the number 1 in the world. This year the objectives are clear: to defend the throne and win a “new” Slam after the Australian Open and the US Open. Wimbledon is at the top of his wish list, the missed opportunity leaving him feeling peckish. At the Championships, Jannik stopped in the quarterfinals against Daniil Medvedev. A match conditioned by an illness that had affected Sinner and probably due to the stress of those days, in which he had to defend himself from doping accusations that no one was yet aware of. A long and demanding process that took away his mental energy especially in the central part of the season: “If I have to choose a tournament to win – he said during the Supertennis Awards in December – it is definitely Wimbledon because I was playing well in the first week of the tournament and that against Medvedev it was definitely a defeat that bothered me.”
Physicist
—
Being physically at your best throughout the season, especially in the most demanding and intense moments, was the focus of the two-week winter preparation in Dubai. Then, from 28 December, after a dutiful period with the family for the holidays, Jannik carried out a finishing session in Monte Carlo followed by coach Simone Vagnozzi and athletic trainer Marco Panichi. A fine-tuning before flying to Australia just as he did at the end of 2023. Attention to detail makes the difference and Sinner, with his meticulousness, is a master at this: “Everyone plays tennis well – he said at the end of the year -, the problem is always the small details. I managed to understand many things this season and I won many games with mental strength.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED