Jannik Sinner and Riccardo Piatti were one heart and soul for a long time. © Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner and the emotional words of his discoverer

Riccardo Piatti is considered the great discoverer and supporter of Jannik Sinner. Even though the two no longer work together, the tennis teacher spoke out with emotional lines after the ATP Finals.

20 November 2023

From: dl

With his entry into the final of the ATP Finals in Turin, Jannik Sinner has broken into new territory - also in terms of popularity: 6,2 million viewers watched the final between Sinner and Djokovic on Rai 1, which set a new TV record in Italy ( 29.3% market share) for a tennis match.

That it is Jannik Sinner Nowadays in the top 4 of the world rankings achieved is also a great achievement of Riccardo Piatti. The Sesto native always said that. The Italian tennis guru, who took the Puster native under his wing at his tennis academy at the age of 13 and led him into the top ten in the world, is considered one of the best teachers in the scene. Nevertheless, Sinner separated from Piatti in February 2022 after eight years together. The separation wasn't entirely without background noise.

Jannik Sinner and trainer Riccardo Piatti in November 2019 in Val Gardena.

Sinner is now looked after by Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi. But anyone who believes that the relationship between Sinner and Piatti has broken down since the separation is probably mistaken: His former sponsor spoke out on social media on Monday: “Many people asked me for a comment on Jannik's game yesterday about his week in Turin in general: journalists, friends, insiders or simply curious people. To avoid misunderstandings, I prefer to rely on my communication channels and respond to everyone from here.”

Piatti congratulates Sinner

Piatti continued his contribution as follows: “First of all, I congratulate Jannik publicly (because I have already done so privately) on this wonderful week, he played a great tournament and tennis at a high level. I would also like to say that this doesn't surprise me too much, because I always believed in him and knew that Jannik was capable of great things, because in recent years he has always shown constant development and an incredible work ethic.

The euphoria surrounding Jannik Sinner knew no bounds in Turin. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco

“I can only be happy about his development because, like any teacher, it is nice to see how his students grow and develop, both physically and athletically. Yesterday’s final was certainly just the first in a long series of triumphs and I wish Jannik the best of luck for the future.”

Piatti counters critics

Last but not least, there was something else on Piatti's mind: due to his cancellation for the Davis Cup preliminary round in Bologna As is well known, Sinner had to endure a lot of criticism at the end of September. Piatti has now belatedly responded to these critics: “Bravo for not listening to this senseless criticism. They said he wasn't proud to play for Italy. That’s what people say who aren’t competent and don’t know what it’s like to play at this level.”

“Bravo Jannik for not listening to this senseless criticism.” The long-time Sinner teacher, Riccardo Piatti.

Finally, the 65-year-old said: “Jannik, a week like this at the finals, the future Grand Slams you will win and the world rankings are the best way to show your solidarity with Italy and all the people in this country “To make you proud to have someone like you among the best athletes in the world.” For the 22-year-old, his discoverer’s words probably go down like oil.