Jannik Sinner: The spell breaks early(r)
Jannik Sinner deservedly won his first title of the season in Montpellier. Last year, the South Tyrolean had to wait much longer for this.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Feb 12, 2023, 08:57 pm
Jannik Sinner was clearly disappointed. The young South Tyrolean left Melbourne's Center Court with his head bowed, where Sinner had demanded everything from Stefanos Tsitsipas in the hours before, was able to equalize a 0: 2 set deficit - only to still lose out in five sets.
For Sinner, the 2023 season started in a similar way to the previous year: with a disappointment. Although the Italian often showed his undoubtedly great talent in Melbourne, Sinner in Down Our did not want to succeed again. And so the Italian has to put up with being named one notch behind Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune among the strongest youngsters.
Sinner with a successful endgame
So it is all the more important for Sinner to be able to put the wait for the number one title of the season on hold at the beginning of February. With a convincing performance, the Italian not only beat the serve-and-volley ace Maxime Cressy on Sunday, Sinner also won the title at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier. Which, by the way, was also where Holger Rune started.
Only in the previous year did this period of drought last much longer for the Italian Sinner: the South Tyrolean only won the premiere title there in Umag at the end of July. Which of course can also be attributed to the stubborn bad luck with injuries that Sinner was exposed to.
In any case, the victory in Montpellier is one that will give Sinner a boost. And the Italian can use that well in view of the tasks ahead. Especially since in the absence of Novak Djokovic (should he actually not be allowed to enter the USA) there is also a lot inside at the ATP Masters 1000 level. Of course, the self-confidence of a premiere title doesn't hurt.