- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 466,837
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
Jannik Sinner made the ideal start to his Italian Open campaign - Getty Images/Marco Bertorello
World No 1 Jannik Sinner returned to the match court on Saturday, after one of the most controversial doping bans of recent memory, and immediately reverted to winning ways.
Sinner’s three-month absence from the tour has caused widespread dissatisfaction across the world of tennis, whether we are talking about professional locker rooms or fans’ online forums.
Many observers felt that his ban – which began on February 9 – was all too conveniently timed, given that it was negotiated by his own team to avoid clashing with any of the four major tournaments.
There was something particularly eyebrow-raising about his return coming on home soil – or home clay, to be precise – at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia.
It was obvious that Sinner – who has become an enormous star in his home country since he started winning majors last year – would receive a warm welcome from the Italian fans, without any danger of awkward heckles from the stands.
And from a more technical perspective, this tournament – which is also sometimes known as the Rome Masters – provides the perfect warm-up to the French Open in a fortnight’s time, as its courts play in a similar way to the ones at Roland Garros.
Drawn against Argentina’s Mariano Navone in this second-round match (which followed a first-round bye), Sinner walked out to a huge roar and a standing ovation from many fans. You could see a few orange shirts dotted around the stands in tribute to his bright red hair. The Carota Boys – a group of fanatical supporters who dress up as vegetables – were there in force.
Surprisingly, the noise levels on Campo Centrale dropped significantly during the match itself. It felt as though the crowd were anxious about Sinner’s ability to flick a switch and go straight back into match mode. They needn’t have worried.
Admittedly, there were some tight periods in this contest, especially when Navone – who is a skilful and determined clay-court specialist – broke back unexpectedly towards the end of the second set. But Sinner is a hard man to derail. He composed himself and snatched the last two games to complete a 6-3, 6-4 victory in one hour and 38 minutes.
Now the fans relaxed at last, and started singing in celebration with a tunefulness that few crowds could have matched. In a city with a fine musical tradition, it felt as if we had switched from sport to grand opera.
There was no great celebration from Sinner, who simply batted a spare ball into the crowd, and then applauded the spectators on all four sides of the court. But then, he has never been a demonstrative character.
With his pale complexion and his long, spindly limbs, he looks nothing like the classic model of the dark Italian heartthrob – as epitomised by Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini and the 1976 French Open champion Adriano Panatta.
We can probably attribute this to his upbringing in South Tyrol: a German-speaking state in north-eastern Italy, which feels as though it would make more sense as part of Austria.
Sinner was typically understated as he gave interviews on the court in both Italian and English, offering nothing more animated than “Amazing feeling – I’ve waited quite long for this moment.”
Later, speaking to Sky Sports’ Karthi Gnanasegaram, he admitted that he was playing with a completely clear head for the first time since he found out about his positive tests for Clostebol – a banned steroid – in March last year.
“I’m extremely happy,” said Sinner. “It’s the first time after one year that I played freely, without any thoughts in my mind, and it’s good. For me it doesn’t really matter about the result, [but] I’m happy about that. The crowd gives me so much energy and positive things.”
You must be registered for see images attach
The Carota Boys – a group of Sinner fans – gave their man plenty of support - Getty Images /Dan Istitene
Sinner’s level was highly respectable, given his long absence, and he is bound to improve further now that he can use “feedback” – as he put it – from the match court to fine-tune his preparation. He has already been practising for four weeks, often with his close friend Jack Draper, the British No 1. But it is impossible to replicate the feeling of tournament play in training.
With world No 93 Jesper de Jong to come in the third round, Sinner should be well-placed to make a run in Rome. It all contributes to the inescapable feeling that, despite the best efforts of tennis’s anti-doping set-up, the world No 1 has got off remarkably lightly.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Continue reading...
