“I will come back stronger”

Even if the final was lost – Jannik Sinner has shown once again that the future in tennis belongs to him. Anyone who reaches the final at the age of 19 in only their third Masters 1000 (which is the most important tournament series in tennis after the Grand Slams and the ATP Finals) will rightly be showered with roses from all sides. The Journal of Sport In her homage to Sinner, she even writes that he is currently the most popular athlete in Italy.

These words won't go to Sinner's head either. The young Sesto native is simply too down-to-earth for that. This also became clear on Sunday evening a few minutes after his bitter final defeat against Hubert Hurkacz. Sinner only had words of praise for the 24-year-old Pole, who won a Masters final for the first time in his career. “Hubi, I congratulate you on this achievement. You showed all your talent today. I'm even more proud of the kind of person you are. I have to say that you are my best friend on the tour,” said Sinner, who expressed the wish with a mischievous smile: “Maybe we should play more doubles together.” Numbers that impress The numbers that Jannik Sinner has to offer are impressive. The final in Miami gave him 600 world ranking points. In the ATP ranking he climbs to position 23. Andreas Seppi's South Tyrolean all-time record (number 18) is only a matter of time - and could fall at the next tournament (the Masters in Monte Carlo). If you only take the results from 2021, Sinner is ranked 7th in the world in this particular ranking. If the ATP ranking had not been “frozen” due to the corona pandemic, he would now be ranked 9th in the world rankings.

Sinner (left) and Hurkacz are good friends. © APA/getty / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Would you like more facts? On Sunday, Sinner was the youngest finalist in a Masters 1000 tournament since Rafael Nadal in Madrid in 2005. And: He was only the second Azzurro ever to make it to a final at such a prestigious tournament. Previously, only Fabio Fognini had achieved this in Monte Carlo in 2019. The Italian also took victory at that time. A sinner never gives up But Sinner also knows that his path is still long. “Work, work, work,” he repeats mantra-like in interviews. In the final against Hurkacz he made life difficult for himself with too many unforced errors (such as hitting the net or playing balls too long). Sometimes it seems as if he becomes impatient during longer rallies and wants to force the point. But that's whining at a high level. Because Sinner has outstanding skills with which he enthralls the tennis world week after week. And a quality that can take him very far in this sport: A sinner never gives up. “We have made a lot of progress in the last few weeks.” Jannik Sinner No matter how tricky the situation, how big the deficit or how strong the opponent: the youngster only loses the game when the opponent has converted his match point. Against Hurkacz he was 0:4 behind in the second set and had two breaks against him. Some people would have thrown away their nerves, others their desire. Even in this hopeless situation, Sinner fought his way back and made it 4:5. The fact that it wasn't enough in the end was due to the Pole's outstanding form.

The Sesto native was combative after the defeat. “We have made a lot of progress in the last few weeks,” he said to his team in an interview after the game. “Today wasn’t my day. But I will come back stronger.” In other words: postponed is not canceled.

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“I will come back stronger”

Only the crowning glory was missing: Jannik Sinner put on a really big show at the Masters tournament in Miami and made it to the final, where he had to admit defeat to his good friend Hubert Hurkacz on Sunday evening. The backgrounds.

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