Italian Jannik Sinner Finally Gets His Redemption in Barcelona

Current ATP number 18 Jannik Sinner of Italy was certainly ready to prove himself on the courts of the recent Barcelona Open after becoming the championships’ youngest semi-final qualifier since Rafael Nadal in 2005. At 19, this rising tennis star is as determined as ever to capture his first grand slam singles title after opting for a tennis racket over his other passions, football and skiing.

While most fans placed their bets on the seasoned Nadal to capture the Barcelona Open title, Sinner

earned his spotlight as one of the top seeds to watch out for in the tournament despite bowing out to Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 6-3 after several errors as a result of the latter’s attacks on the younger player’s forehand. The match earned Tsitsipas his second final appearance at the ATP 500 event.

Proving his mettle

Although the match pretty much seemed lopsided, Sinner was nevertheless able to record a milestone for the tennis annals during his impressive run at Barcelona, with fans eager to see more.

Watching the young 19-year-old play is reminiscent of ATP number one Novac Djokovic of Serbia, who himself is impressed by the young star’s potential. After winning their first match in the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters last month, Djokovic had nothing but praise for Sinner’s performance, stating how top-level the young star’s game is despite his age.

Sinner convincingly showed everyone his dedication and professionalism during his run at the Barcelona Open, where he remained consistent leading up to the semi-finals. Defeating the likes of Belarusian Egor Gerasimov (6-3, 6-2); Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (7-6, 6-2); and Russian Andrey Rublev (6-2, 7-6), all in two sets, Sinner has stirred up the hornet’s nest of champions as he moves on to more grand slam tournaments. Displaying a good all-around game and able to perform at peak form on every surface, Sinner has developed a precocious mindset when it comes to discipline and training that serve as another huge advantage against his opponents.

On the road to the Open

As he took the road to tennis glory, Sinner started at the low ranking of 551 when he played his first ITF Men’s Circuit back in 2018. Landing wild card spots at the ATP later on, Sinner soon found himself facing off against fellow Italian Roberto Marcora at his first ATP Challenger title in Bergamo the following year. The then 17-year old swept the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 and stunned fans when he became the youngest champion on the ATP Challenger circuit since Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime captured his title in 2017.

That win alone catapulted the young star up the ATP ranks by 200 spots to number 324. Sinner then won two titles at the ITF Futures which led him to qualify at the Hungarian Open as a lucky loser in 2019. During the match, Sinner hit three successive forehands on match point to claim his first maiden win against Hungarian Máté Valkusz. After a week, he qualified for an ATP Challenger final in Ostrava, finishing runner-up after being defeated by Kamil Majchrzak.

However, what Sinner’s fans know by now despite his young career is how defeat doesn’t hold much water for the young champion’s competitive spirit. He slowly made his way up the ATP Tour gaining his first-ever tour Masters level win against American Steve Johnson, Jr. at the Italian Open to break into the top 200. Then the wins began to pile up at the Croatia Open Umag and his second ATP Challenger title in Lexington.

In his continued pursuit for a Grand Slam title, Sinner joined the European Open as a wild card and was able to win against top players like Gael Monfils, and Frances Tiafoe, and Mikael Ymer at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals. At last, the long road led the young Sinner into his first Grand Slam main draw at the US Open last year. Though bowing out to ATP number 24 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, the ATP recognized him as the Newcomer of the Year after securing a number 78 world rank at the end of the season.

Moving ahead

After having been eliminated at the Barcelona Open and suffering a defeat against number one Djokovic in Monte Carlo, Sinner is training his sights on the lessons he has learned in the past year. It isn’t often that fans see a young prodigy rise up the ranks in such a convincing manner since Rafael Nadal, in a span of just three years.

Fresh from his first Masters 1000 final in Miami, Sinner appears to remain consistent in reaching quarter-final or semi-final slots in Grand Slam tournaments of the 250s to 500s. Clearly, the rising star is not about to rest on his laurels and is now hungrier than ever before.

Sinner had earlier said in previous interviews that preparation is vital to his performance in upcoming tournaments. Working on both his tennis and physical conditioning certainly helped him a lot in Barcelona. This mindset reflects Sinner’s admiration for South Tyrol star Andreas Seppi, whom he considers his role model. Seppi himself achieved a tennis milestone for Italy by winning 11 of his 14 Challenger and Future Finals appearances. At the rate Sinner is going, he may just surpass his idol’s achievements in the not too distant future.

Seppi himself admits that Sinner is the future of Italian tennis, telling the press how quickly the young star has improved his game and how strong he is both physically and in his ambition to grow. One particular strength Seppi pointed out about his fellow countryman is the mental toughness Sinner has exhibited while playing at the big tournaments. Sinner does acknowledge that seasons are long and that things can suddenly change, which can be rather stressful. Yet what we see in this rising star is his grace under pressure in every head-to-head match he takes on. Win or lose, he continues to nurture a mature and positive outlook, steadily climbing the ranks by diligently learning the essentials.

Jannik Sinner is currently staying in his Monaco apartment to weather out the pandemic while training and staying in shape at the Piatti Fitness Center.

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