byMarco Calabresi
The world number 1: “From this situation, I understood how important sports are, but also life outside tennis.”
The worst is over. Off the court but also on it, considering how the US Open started against Mackenzie McDonald. Jannik Sinner knows it: the mind is the engine of everything, and it will be so in New York, in a tournament that will continue tomorrow with the second round against another American, Alex Michelsen. “The last period hasn’t been easy for me – Sinner tells Supertennis. – I believe that now, little by little, day by day, my team and I are trying to get back to a bit of normality.”
Many words have been said about Sinner’s situation, perhaps too many, but Matteo Berrettini’s words were particularly appreciated by the world number 1. “I’m very happy with what Matteo said; we know each other well and respect each other a lot. We know how we are, even on a human level; he showed me great esteem, and it was a great honor. From this situation, I learned who my friend is and who is not, I understood how important sports are, but also life outside tennis, that there are many things worse than what I went through. On the court, we lost a few weeks of work: I wasn’t quite ready to change something in my game; now we are working on it better than ever; we hope for the best.”
It’s inevitable to go back to everything that has happened in these months and which no one, apart from him and a few others, was aware of: “I’ve always thought that I didn’t do anything wrong; I’m a very honest person, but the closer the sentence approached, the less fun I had on the court. Those who knew me saw a Jannik who was different, less happy, less willing, even though I won many matches during this time. Thanks to those who were close to me because they always treated me normally.”
And so, full steam ahead, even with some thrill: “Physically I’m not 100% prepared; it was impossible with everything I went through, but I try to do my best. Obviously, mentally the situation blocks you; I feel that on the court, and the public helps me in crucial moments. Let’s see what I can do. Against McDonald, I started not so well, I found my rhythm; now I need to find a good balance of work and fun to rediscover myself. It takes some time, but little by little everything will return to normal.”