Jannik Sinner, the spindly player with resounding shots, used to be as shy in clutch moments as he is when he speaks to journalists.
Despite being an amazingly gifted player, Sinner, 22, was accustomed to defeat in the last stages of his big competitions due to inconsistency.
This meant the Italian wasn’t considered among the best of the best like Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz.
But all of that changed in Toronto last summer.
When Sinner won the National Bank Open, it not only marked his first victory in a Masters 1000 tournament, but his game noticeably changed from that point on.
“Winning here, it’s a good confidence boost,” Sinner said in the media conference following his victory in Toronto against Alex De Miñaur on Aug. 13.
“I feel like the confidence is going to be a little higher, but also my expectations are going to be higher,” he said.
Sinner’s high expectations soon became his reality.
Sinner lifted the Davis Cup in November and now has won his first Grand Slam after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final this past Sunday.
During his Australian Open triumph, Sinner achieved what nobody had done before, beating the 10-time Australian Open champion and world number 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-final or final.
Until this tournament, Djokovic was 20-0 when reaching these late stages in Melbourne.
After overpowering Djokovic in a four-set semi-final win through his sharp and dazzling shots, Sinner then displayed a level of mental toughness and intelligence that he’d not displayed before in the finals.
Sinner upset Medvedev in the final, beating the world number 3 in a three-hour, 44-minute long five-set thriller of a match.
Sinner said last season gave him a special confidence.
“I tried to stay positive. Last year I had some good results that made me believe,” he said.
While skill level is consistent among players on the ATP tour, how a player deals with pressure differentiates the best from the average.
Sinner, who had struggled with pressure, said he now feels good dealing with it.
“There is always pressure. It’s something good, you have to take it in a good way, not so many players have that kind of pressure. I like to dance in the pressure storm,” Sinner said.
“It’s when I bring out my best tennis and I’m also quite relaxed because I always try to enjoy it on the court,” he said.
The incredible win of Sinner in Australia could be the tipping point in his career that takes him to the same level as fellow young star Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner is meant to dominate the future along with Alcaraz, 20, who already holds one U.S. Open and one Wimbledon title.
World tennis is now witnessing a meeting point of the two generations, as Djokovic, 36, is not showing any signs of declining.
“I’m ready for the higher expectations and the extra attention that is about to come. It’s part of the game. I’m extremely happy to be in this position now,” Sinner said.
Runner-up Medvedev said after the final that he expects a lot from Sinner.
“He hits very hard. I expected he’d miss more, but he didn’t. If he continues playing like that, he’s going to be the number 1 in the world,” he said.
After making noise in Melbourne this past weekend, Sinner has proved that his name deserves to be in the running for the best player on the ATP Tour.