Jannik Sinner, the big-serving Italian has shed the tag of being jinxed against higher-ranked opponents and has come out in flying colors in Beijing. The 22-year-old has overcome the odds to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the China Open.
This catapults him to a career-high ranking of world number 4 and a step closer to competing at the Nitto ATP finals back home in Turin. Fans were visibly impressed with this victory of the Italian and thronged to X (formerly known as Twitter) to shower praise on him.
One fan went on to predict greater things for Jannik Sinner next year. Impressed with the quality of tennis put forward by Jannick Sinner, he felt that a Grand Slam title was in the reckoning in the coming year. It is not something to be faulted for.
He’ll win a slam next year
— Sergio (@sgriffinjr_) October 4, 2023
Another fan posted that with this victory, Jannik Sinner has made sure that he belongs to the big league. Now he can be placed alongside Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev while choosing favorites for a tournament. This fact will be vindicated if the Italian lives up to his recent promise.
Welcome to big time Tennis Jannik Sinner surely in big league now alongside Djokovic, Alcaraz and Medvedev. https://t.co/yHoT2QS8pJ
— Zawaher Nizamani (@zawaher08) October 4, 2023
Others chose to laud the technical aspect of his game which has improved by notches. This fact especially bears significance as Sinner was someone who was not known for his technical prowess. So, polishing that aspect of his game to go with his booming serves means that he could be a potent force to reckon with.
That might just be the best match I’ve watched Sinner play. Technical Brilliance
— tfl (@ThatF1Lad) October 4, 2023
So, it seems as though Jannik Sinner has become the darling of the masses overnight, after scalping two big fishes, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, en route to his victory at the China Open. It’s something that he should take pride in and egg him on to attain more such victories in the future.
Daniil Medvedev’s hilarious reaction to Jannik Sinner’s triumph
During the post-match presentation, Sinner was felicitated with a trophy along with a doll. The youngster chose to place it in the trophy while posing for photographs. In a hilarious reaction, Medvedev who was by his side put his hand into the trophy of Sinner and tried to take the doll with him.
Fans who didn’t miss this incident were quirky with their responses. One of them reacted by saying, “The way Daniil snatched the doll. It’s probably for Alisa haha,” meaning that he was trying to snatch away the doll to give it to Alisa, his daughter.
It is not often that you see Sinner being beaten 6 times in succession by the same opponent without a solitary victory to his name. Usually, Medvedev’s deep court play and ability to hit the corners with precision will help him catch Sinner off-guard. But, the Italians had other ideas this time around. Before the match, Sinner remarked, “..try to change a couple of things and hopefully they work.”
Those “things” actually did. He took the game to the Russians right from the beginning, relentlessly and fearlessly without being reckless. The lanky Italian was the one who was on top of the baseline and was the one who had the urge to approach the net at the first opportunity available. To go with this, he controlled the rallies with Elan, thus proving to be an indomitable force on the day, for Medvedev.
Jannik Sinner after finally beating Daniil Medvedev:
“First of all Daniil, thanks for letting me win 1 match.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z91jQzNmBy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 4, 2023
With this victory, Jannik Sinner has proved all the critics who doubted his ability to perform in big matches and crunch situations wrong, fair, and square. Thus, we can safely conclude that Sinner has arrived on the big stage and is here to stay.