Jannik
Sinner recognized that he thinks more about his defeat to
Carlos Alcaraz in the
French Open semifinals than about reaching the world No. 1 ranking. The
22-year-old Italian responded in an interview where he also talked about his
upcoming goals at
Wimbledon and the Olympics.
Despite not
leaving
Roland Garros with the title, Sinner guaranteed his rise to No. 1 for
the first time in his career after
Novak Djokovic retired in the quarterfinals,
right before his match against Casper Ruud.
Sinner’s mixed
emotions: No. 1 Ranking and French Open heartbreak
Sinner’s
year has been extraordinary with a record of 33-3 and three titles, including
his first Grand Slam at the
Australian Open. Over the past year, especially
after the 2023 US Open, he has been the most consistent player on the Tour, and
finally, his ranking accredits him as the best tennis player in the world.
Despite his
achievement, Sinner acknowledged having mixed feelings about being No. 1 after
his semifinal defeat. According to the Italian, he feels disappointed about
losing at Roland Garros but is already projecting his next challenges: “Now
it's interesting to see how long I can remain ATP No.1, check how I behave in
Halle, the next appointment, then there's Wimbledon and I'm curious to find out
how I'll play in London,” he said.
“Last year
on grass I made an incredible effort, the first tournament on the green will
already tell me a lot. Then there will be other objectives, those are never
lacking,"
Jannik Sinner added.
Jannik Sinner at 2024 Roland Garros.
"Wimbledon
and the Olympics. At the Games I will rcome back to the court of Friday's
defeat against Alcaraz, I hope to do well because for me it will be a very
special and important event. Also because more than the ATP No.1 I'm still
thinking about the match with Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final in Paris."
"On
Sunday I saw a bit of the final, and I struggled a bit because I would have
liked to be there more anyway. I'm still swallowing: Now I'm interested in
this. I like the number 1 trophy but unfortunately on Sunday I wasn't able to
be in the place where I wanted to be. Paris," he explained.
"It
happened like this, it happens. It's a great lesson for me: it makes me
understand where I have to work and where I have to improve. Nothing dramatic.
Today I enjoy the trophy as number 1 in the ranking. I feel like I'm on top of
a mountain, and I'm faced with it I already see another one to climb,” the new
world No. 1 stated.
“I can't wait to get back on the court: there is nothing in
the world I like more than playing tennis. The boy from Sesto Pusteria (the
town in Trentino Alto Adige in Northern Italy, where he was born-ed.) has
become number 1 in the world, but he won't change," he told.
On the other
hand, the Italian tennis player commented that his greatest inspiration in
tennis is the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer:"Every number one is very
special, if I have to choose one I would say Roger Federer. I grew up when he
played, I watched him a lot, I always liked his style on and off the court. My
number one number one is Federer,” Sinner said.
“Now we are
five Italians in the top 50 in the world, which is a huge number, but I would
like to make tennis even bigger. We strive to have excellent results, you just
saw it at Roland Garros. A Slam final in Australia, a semi-final in Paris: I
can be satisfied," added Sinner.