By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, March 10, 2024
The tennis court docket is a peaceable place in comparison with the scary slopes Jannik Sinner as soon as confronted.
Nowadays, Sinner evokes concern think about opponents.
Extra: Grigor Dimitrov on Pure Magnificence
The Australian Open champion swept Jan-Lennard Struff scoring his seventeenth straight win to hurry into the Indian Wells fourth spherical for the fourth time.
The 22-year-old Italian brings his finest towards the very best: Sinner is 10-1 vs. Prime 5 opponents in his final 11 matches and has captured 4 titles in his final seven event begins.
So what’s the important aspect to Sinner’s success?
Fearlessness.
Requested afterward what he considers his most essential high quality, Sinner stated it’s being daring at crunch time.
Straddling the baseline and hitting daring drives on pivotal factors has separated Sinner, who’s 14-0 in 2023, from the ATP pack.
“I’ve numerous respect for all of gamers however I haven’t got concern to face them,” Sinner instructed the media in Indian Wells. “I believe that is additionally a high quality, as a result of particularly while you play the strain factors and essential factors, you understand, I nonetheless wish to go for the photographs. I do not wait to see what my opponent does more often than not. So if I’ve to decide on one high quality, it is this one.”
In Melbourne, Sinner scaled a serious mountain dethroning defending champion Novak Djokovic with out going through a break level earlier than rallying from two-sets all the way down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in a five-set ultimate.
As a child, Sinner was dedicated to going downhill quick as a champion junior skier.
In the end, Sinner selected tennis over snowboarding as a result of it supplied a possibility to do injury on court docket quite than to his physique.
One motive Sinner is so fearless on court docket, he is aware of there’s actually nothing to concern.
“I noticed it after I skied that I had concern to go, you understand, the downhill races. Whenever you go very quick and then you definately bounce 20, 30 meters, you understand, it is totally different,” Sinner stated. “Then I had this concern. After which in my thoughts in tennis, it is nothing to be scared about, no?
“It is solely a match on the finish of the day. We attempt our greatest, and generally it goes in a great way in essential moments and generally not. However on the finish, you simply lose the match.”
As his undefeated begin to the season exhibits: A fearless Sinner is a scary presence for the remainder of the Tour.
Picture credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
