Watching Jannik Sinner take to Centre Court on Sunday to retain his Wimbledon title, it is easy to forget the array of doubts there were about him just a couple of weeks ago.
Whilst he was the world’s highest-ranked player, Sinner’s invincibility faded during what was a disastrous French Open campaign. On May 28th, he took to the court as the man to beat and was expected to easily get past Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo. He surged to a 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 lead before losing 18 out of the next 20 games and suffered a 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 1-6 loss. Sinner’s body could not handle the heat and he simply imploded on the court.
That match was a significant moment in Sinner’s career. He was left having to prove to the Tour that it was just a simple blip. Although the fact that he also suffered from cramping whilst playing at the Shanghai Masters last year added to the doubts he faced.
“What happened in Paris was just one of those things,” coach Darren Cahill commented after Sinner defended his Wimbledon title.
“It’s not something we can put our finger on and know exactly what happened. He went away and did what he needed to do with the testing and made a few changes to his preparation, the way he prepares for the hot days.
“It goes to show the maturity of the player that we’re working with in Jannik, that he can take a kick in the guts like that, come back here, work his ass off.”
It is very intriguing that Sinner’s team can’t pinpoint what exactly went wrong when you consider they are in a position to conduct various tests to extensively look into the situation.
In one way, having one of the hottest Wimbledon events in history this year was a blessing in disguise, as it provided Sinner with the opportunity for redemption. Perhaps, even more important, was a chance for him to show himself that he had overcome the mysterious issue.
Unlike previous years, Sinner opted not to play any grass events leading up to Wimbledon. The approach was logical when taking into account what happened in Paris. However, his five-set start to SW19, where he ousted Miomir Kecmanović in the first round, continued to raise doubts about his form. Then, as the tournament progressed, he surged in form and only dropped one more set en route to the trophy.
“This one means a lot because it was a tough one after Paris,” Sinner said of winning his second Wimbledon trophy.
“I tried to put myself in the best possible position to be as competitive as possible.
“We (Sinner and his team) put in a lot of workdays in Monaco. Sacrificing a lot of my time and everything to be in this position.
“Having this achievement means a lot to me.”
Sinner relishes his title defence at Wimbledon for obvious reasons. Although he swiftly dismisses the suggestion that it is a relief.
“There is no failure if you don’t win a Grand Slam,” he explained.
“We talk about (winning) five Grand Slams but at the end of the day, it’s five days of so many other days.”
Those other days he refers to are the pivotal ones which have set him up to be the player that he is now. These are the hours spent on the practice courts, the gym, fitness tests, monitoring his diet and so on. He already has 30 ATP titles to his name, with six of those being won since January.
“What makes us the most proud of him and working with him is the way he comes back from those (setbacks),” said Cahill.
“It doesn’t put him down for too long. Obviously, he’s disappointed after those moments. But it’s a day later. We get a phone call. All right, boys, what are we doing? Let’s get back on the court. What are we working towards? What’s the plan? Where are we going? What do we need to do to get better?
“That’s his attitude in tennis and it is his attitude in life. His resilience in those moments, being able to come back and be bigger, stronger and faster whenever he has a bad moment.”
Sinner is already a household name in the world of tennis but this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. In the Wimbledon final, it was evident that Zverev made adjustments to his game and was more competitive in some of their previous meetings. Some of tennis’ greatest players say their dominance is down to always wanting to become a better player.
As for the heat issue, this is also something still being worked on.
“He’s a redhead who lives in the north of Italy, who grew up in the snow and the Alps. Hot weather is a little bit different for him than it is for most people,” Cahill said bluntly of Sinner.
“We might even make some changes to the pre-season, chasing the sun a little bit more, getting him more acclimatised to playing in these types of conditions.”
Over the past six weeks, Sinner has suffered a major blow and managed to swiftly return to the top of the game. This will undoubtedly inspire him for the future and help him tackle any adversity that might come his way.
