The 19-year-old Italian, with the success of the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, follows in the footsteps of sacred monsters, who later became number 1 in the world
Jannik Sinner followed in the footsteps of three tennis greats of all time becoming the fourth teenager in history to reach a men’s singles final in Miami. The 19-year-old Italian, with the success of the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, follows in the footsteps of ‘sacred monsters’ of tennis like Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all three later became number 1 in the world.
Agassi, in 1990, and Djokovic, in 2007, were both still teen winners of the US tournament, beating Stefan Edberg and Guillermo Canas respectively in their respective finals. Nadal instead lost to Roger Federer in the 2005 grand final.
Many compliments to Sinner at the end of the match, starting with those of former world number five Daniela Hantuchova who emphasized the Italian’s “courage and calmness”, adding: “When he really counted, he intensified his game to the max being able to do it at such a young age, we’re looking at something very, very special. ” According to Greg Rusedski, a 1997 US Open finalist, “Nadal was the youngest finalist in Miami. Mentally the two have a lot in common. Different styles but both bold and courageous.”