Young Jannik Sinner Is The Spectacular Winner In Washington
Locker Room
August 9, 2021
Jannik Sinner held his nerve to become the youngest ATP 500 winner in history after a superb final in Washington.
What could he achieve by the time Wimbledon 2022 comes around? The mind boggles.
Just a few days short of his twentieth birthday, Sinner showed a composure beyond his years.
He kept his head while all around him seemed to be losing theirs.
The reward was a title previously won by the likes of all-time-greats Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi.
But Sinner had to do it the hard way.
First there was the raucous crowd who naturally cheered on the determined American, Mackenzie McDonald.
Then there was the fact that feisty McDonald simply refused to quit.
He looked down and out in sets one and three but somehow battled all the way back from the brink to reach parity.
And when the home favourite took the second set to deafening cheers, you could have forgiven Sinner for crumbling.
He didn’t.
It all made for a scintillating match full of breath-taking rallies and stunning all-court action.
Sinner raised his arms in triumph after holding firm to take this fabulous final 7-5, 4-7, 7-5.
He looked drained and that was hardly surprising.
Should he have been more ruthless? Probably. Sinner squandered ten set points in the opener alone and 16 break points in total.
And perhaps they were at the back of the Italian’s mind as he assessed his achievement.
Sinner said: ‘ I think there is still much work to do, to be honest. A lot of experience to put in, trying to play important matches and important moments of a match.
‘Today I think I had a lot of them. I can learn many things from today.’
How to be a consistent winner.
The value of forgiving oneself for mistakes and maintaining mental strength when everything is being thrown at you from over the net.
Those are two great lessons to take from this exquisite celebration of all that is great about tennis.
The lanky Italian’s speed in covering the court is what will also maintain his climb to the summit of our sport.
Already he is a top-fifteen star and there is so much more to come.
It has been a good few weeks for Italian sports.
First they won soccer’s Euro finals at Wembley, London.
Then they won the blue riband event at the Tokyo Olympics – the 100 metres.
Now an important tennis title has followed in the most joyful fashion.
This is perhaps the biggest moment of Sinner’s career so far.
There will be many more to come.
He will no longer be a teenager when he comes to Wimbledon 2022.
Just an even better player with a hunger for an even bigger title.
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