Tag: Jannik Sinner

 “Physically strong” reigning champion Jannik Sinner will face 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final after taming Ben Shelton in straight sets.

The Italian second seed swatted aside the American eighth seed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and has dropped only one set in moving ominously into the last four.

The other semi-final at Melbourne Park is between world number one Carlos Alcaraz and third-ranked Alexander Zverev.

 “We go day by day, today I felt I was moving again a little bit better, I feel physically stronger again,” the relentless Sinner said after easing into a sixth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final.

 “We all know what challenge I am up to,” he said of facing Djokovic, 38. “These are the moments you practise for and wake up for in the morning.

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 “It improves you as a player and a person, we are lucky to have Novak still here playing incredible tennis for his age.”

Sinner and Shelton came into the quarter-final with the Italian having won eight of their nine previous meetings in straight sets.

The left-hander Shelton has got the better of Sinner just once, in their first encounter, in 2023.

Sinner’s dominance includes winning their Melbourne semi-final 12 months ago, and it was to be more of the same on a cool evening on Rod Laver Arena.

Sinner raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set as he sent Shelton, who is a year younger at 23, scurrying to all corners of the court.

A Sinner ace sealed the first set in 49 minutes and, despite having the crowd willing him on, Shelton was broken again in falling two sets down.

Four-time major champion Sinner was imperious and looked unflustered on the few occasions that the aggressive Shelton put him under the cosh.

They went with serve in the third set and Shelton did his best to feed off what he has approvingly called a “rowdy” Melbourne crowd.

But he struck his 33rd unforced error to give Sinner three break points, and after saving one of them, the American double-faulted to gift his opponent a 5-4 lead and signal the end was close.

Djokovic, a record 10-time winner in Melbourne, took his place in the semi-finals when Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired hurt.

Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 in a high-octane final to capture his maiden Wimbledon trophy and fourth Grand Slam crown, avenging his loss to the Spaniard in last month’s epic French Open final.

The hard-fought win over the two-times defending champion on the famous lawns of London  on Sunday ensured that Sinner became the first Italian to secure a Wimbledon singles title.

“I would like to start with Carlos. An amazing tournament, but mostly thank you for the player you are,” Sinner said. “It’s so difficult to play against you, but we have an amazing relationship off the court and on the court … keep going, keep pushing.”

The 23-year-old Sinner drew first blood in the first Wimbledon men’s final contested by a pair born in the 2000s, breaking for a 3-2 lead, but Alcaraz clawed back before hitting a spectacular return at full stretch to wrap up the opening set and he celebrated by cupping his ear and soaking up the cheers.

Sinner gained a break in the opening game of next set and he let out a rare yell of “let’s go” after winning a point en route to holding in a tight game before surging ahead 3-1 after a brief interruption when a champagne cork flew from the stands and landed on Centre Court.

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The top seed shrugged off the distraction and hit a running crosscourt winner to take the second set, before tightening his grip on the contest by unleashing a superb volley at the net to break for 5-4 and then holding in the next game to seal the third set with minimum fuss.

With shadows drifting across the main show court that had basked in bright sunshine, Sinner wheeled away to a 3-1 lead in the fourth set as Alcaraz began to display the smallest signs of dejection, and the monk-like world number one held firm from there to complete a famous victory.

“It’s amazing to be in this position,” added Sinner.

“We were talking actually before the match; we would never have thought to be in this position. Back in the days when I was young, this was only a dream, because it was so far away from where I’m from. So I’m just living my dream, it’s amazing.”

“I’d like to thank my team and everyone who came here for this special day. It means so much. You give me so much emotion on and off the court and we try to keep pushing and trying to become a better tennis player, but mostly a better person.”

There was to be no Roland Garros-like resurrection for Alcaraz, who fought back from three match-points down in the Paris finale just 35 days ago, as the Spaniard’s bid to claim three successive All England Club titles was extinguished.

“I’m just really happy and really proud about everything I’m doing,” the 22-year-old Alcaraz said.

“At the beginning of the season, I struggled a little bit on the court, but then suddenly I started to bring joy on the court again and that excitement I have every time I step on the court.

“It’s a great journey so far, which I’m really proud of.”

Sinner’s victory snapped a run of five successive losses to Alcaraz and left the rivalry 8-5 in the Spaniard’s favour.

“Every time we play each other, I think our level is really high. We don’t see a level like this,” Alcaraz said.

“I don’t see any player playing against each other, having the level that we’re playing when we face each other.

“This rivalry, it’s becoming better and better … we’re playing in the finals of Grand Slams, finals of Masters and the best tournaments in the world. It’s going to get better.”

Jannik Sinner ended the retiring Richard Gasquet’s career with a one-sided victory at the French Open while Novak Djokovic successfully continued his Grand Slam record bid at Roland Garros.

Women’s second seed and former finalist Coco Gauff booked a place in the last 32, after 18-year-old contender Mirra Andreeva cruised through.

World number one Sinner had no trouble in seeing off the 38-year-old Gasquet, playing at the tournament for the 22nd and final time, 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 in under two hours.

Sinner made his comeback from a three-month doping ban at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz.

He was in fine form against Gasquet, saving three break points to serve out the first set before dominating the rest of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

 “Thank you for being very fair with me today, I know what was at stake… It’s your (Gasquet’s) moment. Congrats on an amazing career,” Sinner told the crowd after setting up a third-round meeting with Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Djokovic continued his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title by downing Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight sets, despite needing a medical time-out to treat apparent blisters on his foot.

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The 38-year-old, who became just the third man to win 100 ATP titles last week in Geneva, eventually put away an obdurate Moutet, winning 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7⁄1) after three hours and five minutes.

The Serb will next play either Canadian 27^th   seed Denis Shapovalov or Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic, as he edges closer to a possible quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev.

 “I think in general I played well,” Djokovic said after an impressive display against an awkward opponent who missed a set point in the third.

 “I came to Roland Garros with more confidence, good feelings… Hopefully I can continue like that.”

Third seed Zverev bounced back from losing the first set in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Dutchman Jesper de Jong.

The German, who lost last year’s final to Alcaraz in five sets, will next face Italian Flavio Cobolli on Saturday for a last-16 berth.

Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur’s run of reaching four consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals was ended as he blew a two-set lead to lose 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to Alexander Bublik.

Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, the Miami Open champion, also suffered a collapse from two sets up in a 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Grand Slam debutant Henrique Rocha of Portugal.

Home hope Arthur Fils narrowly avoided suffering a similar fate though.

The 14th seed fought back from a break down in the deciding set to grab a dramatic 7-6 (7⁄3), 7-6 (7⁄4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 victory over Spaniard Jaume Munar on a raucous Court Suzanne Lenglen despite battling a back injury.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca reached the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time with a straight-sets win against French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

The 18-year-old will next face the winner of the night session match between Gael Monfils and British fifth seed Jack Draper.

Gauff struggled with her serve but did enough to claim a 6-2, 6-4 win over 2024 French Open girls’ champion Tereza Valentova.

She only managed one hold of serve in a scrappy second set but broke her 18-year-old Czech opponent eight times in the match to secure a third-round meeting with Marie Bouzkova.

The American is targeting a first title since last year’s WTA Finals, having come up just short in Madrid and Rome.

 “I could have been more aggressive on serve but the return game was good,” Gauff said.

Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, brushed side American Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-4.

Andreeva is playing her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed after capturing WTA 1000 series titles in Dubai and Indian Wells.

 “I’m just happy that I stayed calm during the match, and I’m happy that I overcame some little difficulties throughout the match,” said the Russian.

Third seed Jessica Pegula beat fellow American Ann Li 6-3, 7-6 (7⁄3) and will face former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova in the third round.

Madison Keys, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, saw off Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova was knocked out, though, dispatched 6-0, 6-3 by Russian Veronika Kudermetova.

World number one Jannik Sinner announced on Monday the creation of a foundation in his name aimed at “empowering children through education and sports”, six days out from the Italian’s return to action after a doping ban.

The Jannik Sinner Foundation “will support sports programmes, school projects and community initiatives to make sports and education more accessible to the next generation” in Italy and abroad.

 “For me, it’s an honour to support children and young athletes,” said Sinner in a statement. “Sports have taught me invaluable lessons: discipline, resilience and the courage to stay true to myself.

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 “Lessons that I believe are worth sharing. Through our work, we want to show kids what’s possible, not just in sports but in life.”

The foundation will be chaired by Sinner’s manager Alex Vittur, and Formula One supremo Stefano Domenicali will sit on the board of directors.

Sinner, 23, has been out of action since accepting a three-month doping ban in February after twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.

The three-time Grand Slam winner is due to return before the Rome Open, which runs from May 7-18.

Double Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner set his sights on mastering clay and grass courts to make himself a complete player after the Italian claimed his third hard-court Grand Slam title.

The world number one retained his Melbourne Park crown with an emphatic 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 victory over Alexander Zverev in Rod Laver Arena, four months after his U.S. Open triumph, to further underpin his status as the hottest player on the surface.

Sinner has reached the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in the last two seasons but the 23-year-old said he hoped to assert his authority on clay and grass this year.

“You have to be a complete player, not only on one surface but on also the other two,” Sinner told reporters.

“I believe last year wasn’t a bad season at all on clay and on grass. I can do better, yes, but let’s see. I mean, these are questions that I can answer by playing.”

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Sinner, who has won 37 of his last 38 matches on hard-courts, said he would dedicate his time and energy to going far in the other Grand Slams.

“I’m still young and I have time to adjust, especially on grass-courts, because I’ve never played the juniors. It was new when I arrived on the tour,” Sinner added.

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“It’s exactly that what I like; the difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully I can show that when the season arrives.”

Sinner’s latest triumph showed his ability to stay fully focused despite a doping case stemming from two failed drug tests in March last year that is hanging over his head.

Cleared to continue playing by tennis anti-doping bodies, the Italian could face a ban of up to two years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and a hearing is set to start on April 16.

“I’m very proud,” Sinner said about his ability to shut out the noise and let his tennis do the talking.

“It’s tough to describe. Many things happen off the court, what you maybe don’t know. When I go on court, even if sometimes it’s very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.

“That for me is even more important because I can talk with them very openly. When I go on to the court, I try and focus on the match. I know the match can be three, four, five hours, but that’s the gap of the day where I have to be very focused.

“In the gym, trying to keep your routine, then you think a bit less about what’s happening. Of course, it’s still a little bit in the back of your mind. I know that I’m in this position now. So (there’s) nothing I can change.”

A clinical Jannik Sinner “emptied the tank” to sweep past Alexander Zverev and retain his Australian Open title, cementing his status as the world’s dominant player in men’s tennis.

The 23-year-old Italian came through a tense final between the two highest-ranked players 6-3, 7-6 (7⁄4), 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena, raising his arms in the air and looking to the sky in celebration.

In doing so he became the first Italian, man or woman, to win three Grand Slams, surpassing Nicola Pietrangeli.

The emphatic victory also thrust him alongside Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to successfully defend their Melbourne Park titles this century.

Sinner, who has a doping case hanging over his head, said he was fired up coming into the match despite his calm exterior.

 “In your mind there is only one match left. You want to empty your tank a little bit. That was what I was trying to do,” he said. “It is definitely a different feeling for sure,” he added of winning a second Melbourne crown.

 “I know how much work I put into this one and having this one twice it’s amazing.”

The win proved more misery for Germany’s Zverev, who remains one of the world’s best players never to taste Grand Slam glory, falling short once again in his third big final.

 “It sucks standing here next to this thing (trophy) and not being able to touch it, I’ll be honest,” said the 27-year-old.

 “But congratulations to Jannik. You more than deserve it. You’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping that I could be more competitive today, but you’re just too good. It’s as simple as that.”

Ice-cool Sinner proved to be a tower of mental strength again in Australia, with his defence coming against the backdrop of an ongoing doping case after he twice tested positive for traces of the steroid clostebol last year.

The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against his exoneration and is seeking a ban of up to two years. He denies knowingly doping.

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A hearing is scheduled at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for April.

He cast all the worries aside to notch a 19th career title and extend his incredible winning streak to 21 matches, sharing words of consolation with Zverev.

 “A tough day for you. You’re an amazing player. Keep believing in yourself because I think we, all the players and the coaches, whoever is involved in the sport, know how strong you are, not only as a player, but also as a person.

 “So keep it up. Keep working hard because we all believe that you can lift one of these very, very soon.”

Last year Sinner needed five sets to tame Daniil Medvedev and win his first Grand Slam, but it never looked like going the distance this time.

The US Open champion opened with a statement ace and won his first two service games to love, with Zverev struggling to get himself into the contest.

The German began to find his radar, taking four points off one Sinner serve in a game that went to deuce twice as the rallies built.

But the dam burst in the eighth game.

Zverev saved three break points but had no answer to a fourth when he was beaten by a blazing passing shot to slump 5-3 behind.

Sinner took the set in 46 minutes and kept the pressure on in the second.

The Italian has a phenomenal ability to turn recovery shots into momentum-changing ones and he raced 15-40 clear on the Zverev serve at 1-1.

Once more, the second seed dug deep to cling on.

From then on they couldn’t be separated and it went to a tiebreak where Sinner got a lucky net cord that dribbled over to break for 5-4 and he streaked to a two-set lead.

Zverev smashed his racquet in frustration at the changeover and it didn’t get any better in the third set, worn down by the relentless Italian.

Sinner broke for 4-2 when Zverev sent a forehand long and there was no way back for the increasingly disillusioned German.

Jannik Sinner completed his sensational year by leading Italy to a successful defence of the Davis Cup with victory over the Netherlands in the final.

The world number one eased to a 7-6 (7⁄2), 6-2 triumph against Tallon Griekspoor for the winning point after Matteo Berrettini had put the defending champions ahead with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.

Sinner ends 2024 with titles at the Australian Open, US Open and the ATP Finals.

 “The whole team is amazing, we tried to defend our title and we have done it, so we’re extremely happy… there’s a lot of work behind it,” said Sinner as Italy won the Davis Cup for a third time.

Italy became the first team to defend the title since the Czech Republic in 2013, and the fifth nation to win it along with the Billie Jean King Cup in the same season.

Strong Italian support, along with an orange wall of Dutch fans, made for a fine atmosphere at the Martin Carpena arena, with the Netherlands in the final for the first time in 104 years of trying.

However defeating Sinner this year has been nigh on impossible for most players, let alone with the pressure of carrying a nation’s hopes on their shoulders.

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Griekspoor, ranked 40^th , has now lost all six meetings with Sinner but battled remarkably well, forcing Sinner to save two early break points.

Serving brilliantly, Griekspoor twice held to love and hit two aces in the 12th game to force a tie-break.

Sinner secured an early mini-break and another for a 5-2 lead, firing down his 12th ace to take the first set.

The Italian brought up and converted his first break point of the match to take a 2-1 lead in the second set.

Griekspoor produced a backhand winner to drag his way back on serve but undid his good work with a double fault that allowed Sinner to break again for a 3-2 lead.

The game was up for the Dutch and Sinner broke again in the seventh game before sealing his triumph with his fourth match point with a scorching serve Griekspoor could not return.

 “I had no other option than playing a high level match – if you want to have a chance against Jannik in this kind of form, this kind of shape, this kind of confidence,” said Griekspoor. “Jannik is very tough to beat, especially, with the season he had, he deserves all of it.”

Netherlands captain Paul Haarhuis was part of the last Dutch team to reach the semi-finals 22 years ago.

 “I don’t have a love relationship with second place, I have a hate relationship with second place,” said Haarhuis. “Even though I’m unbelievably proud of the guys, for now it feels (terrible).”

Berrettini edged the first set against Van de Zandschulp but hit his peak in the second and left the Dutchman no chance, winning in 76 minutes.

The world number 35, who came to support Italy as they ended a 47-year wait for the trophy in 2023 as he missed out with an ankle injury, was crucial in their Davis Cup defence.

The 28-year-old paired up with Sinner to help Italy triumph in a doubles decider against Argentina in the last eight, before winning his semi-final singles rubber against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis.

 “It feels unbelievable, it feels really great to be on court – if you win it’s better, but being able to be healthy, here and enjoying this kind of atmosphere is the most important thing for me, because I missed that,” said Berrettini.

 “I definitely feel that my level never really left. When you’re struggling physically and mentally it’s not easy to play your best tennis.”

Van de Zandschulp, ranked 80th, became the last player to defeat Rafael Nadal before the Spanish superstar headed into retirement earlier in the week.

However he was blown away by Berrettini, who moved ahead in the ninth game of the first set. The Italian opened up three break points and took the first to claim a 5-4 lead.

In the second set Berrettini, who was Wimbledon runner-up in 2021, broke in the third game and again in the seventh.

The Italian produced 10 forehand winners and 16 aces on his way to victory, teeing up Sinner to finish the tie.

World number one Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Masters indoor event due to an “intestinal virus”, the tournament organisers have announced.

Sinner, assured since mid-October of finishing the year top of the rankings for the first time in his career at the age of 23, has been replaced in the draw by Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, who was drafted in from qualifying.

Organisers said Sinner was “suffering from an intestinal virus contracted before he arrived in Paris”.

The major objective at the end of his season, the Masters in Turin, which brings together the eight best players of the year, is scheduled for November 10-17.

He is then expected to take part in the Davis Cup finals the following week in Malaga, Spain. Italy are the defending champions.

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Sinner enjoyed a sparkling 2024 season, winning his first two Grand Slam titles, at the Australian Open and the US Open.

In all, he has won seven tournaments since the start of the season, including three Masters 1000 titles, in Miami, Cincinnati and Shanghai.

However, he is under the threat of suspension in a doping case that came to light several weeks ago, following an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Sinner has a chequered history with the Paris indoor tournament – a year ago, he withdrew before his second match.