Jannik sinner was proud. The 23 -year -old had become the first Italian to win three Titles in Simple of Grand Chelem, defending his Australian Open Crown with a ruthless and dominant stay Alexander Zverev. His defeated opponent revealed the difference between n ° 1 in the world and n ° 2 in a large home of territory. “He is in a different universe,” said Zverev. To Sinner, a third title of Grand Chelem Assiage on the surface and a continuation of its winning race put it among the legends of all the times of the play. Pisher achievements in the past 12 months placed it on the way to grandeur.
But the sinner pointed out that he was proud of another aspect of his defense of Melbourne. For the second big slam in a row, the sinner was a level above his rivals, giving off calm and composure, while playing with the stress and the uncertainty of a potentially modified career audience approaching on the horizon. In April, the Arbitration Court for Sport (Case) will hear a call from World Anti -Doping Agency (Wada) after the sinner was erased to blame after two positive doping tests For an anabolic steroid last March.
If the sinner may seem unstoppable on the field, the largest opponent in the world n ° 1 on the road to new files seems to be the case audience, whose date was announced on the eve of the Australian Open. This brought similarities to the US Open last August, the first major tournament he played after his positive doping tests were revealed and after the International Tennis Integrity Authority announced that he had been elected with blame. For all the uncertainty around Sinner’s case, the 23-year-old has again found a way to put everything that happens in the background behind him.
“I am very proud,” he said about his determination. “It is actually difficult to describe. Many things happen in the field, (certain things) that you may not know. When I go to the field, even if it is sometimes very difficult to block these kinds of things, I have a team and people who are close to me who trust me. It is even more important for me because I can speak very openly with them. That’s it. Of course, it’s still a bit in mind. (But) I know I’m in this position now. So, nothing that I can change.
The sinner treated impressively with control. He did not resurrect to those who publicly doubt its explanation “inadvertently contamination”, or used uncertainty around the coming audience as motivation. Instead, his coach Darren Cahill said that Sinner had found his “safe space” on the tennis court. Its consistency comes from its objective. “As I always said, I continue to play like that because I have a clear spirit on what happened,” said Sinner. “If I was guilty, I wouldn’t play like that.”
Apart from the dates, the next challenge to Sinner will be to prove that he is the full player and to compete for the titles of the Grand Slam on other surfaces. His record on hard shorts is undeniable and he is the first male player in 50 years to win 22 consecutive sets against the 10 best players, who have all been reassembled. Sinner is the fifth open era player to win three consecutive hard terrains, joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and John Mcenroe.
But Sinner has only one French open semi-final and a semi-final of Wimbledon. His young rival Carlos Alcaraz proved last year that he is the dominant player through clay and grass. “You must be a complete player, not only a surface, but also on the other two,” said Sinner, recognizing that Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal and now Alcaraz have won over the three. “Surely, we aim to enter this rhythm because it is a little different. Especially on the grass because it is a little different, movement. I still have to improve myself, but I will put a lot of energy. »»
His Italian coach, Simone Vagnozzi, agreed that the sinner had to assert his authority on other surfaces to be recognized as a real world n ° 1. “Of course, his natural surface is the hard short. Last year, he plays Semi-finals in Paris and in neighborhood in Wimbledon. Garros.
The case audience can be held on the way. If the sinner is prohibited for the summer, his competition aspirations in Roland Garros and Wimbledon may have to wait. Perhaps the sinner did not face enough danger in the Australian Open final for his victory over Zverev to remember in time. But elsewhere, uncertainty and danger await the n ° 1 in the world, including the largest opponent on the road to future records and the titles of the Grand Slam is now a hearing date in April.