Around a year ago, Jannik Sinner was still, in part, an enigma, regardless of his exceptional talent and rising star status amongst his peers. While his skill and athletic prowess were undoubted, he had yet to come to grips with the mental and physical demands of tennis. His defeat in the fourth round of the previous year’s US Open by Alexander Zverev was a key example of this struggle.
Nevertheless, in this year’s New York grand slam, Sinner has proven he’s a force to be reckoned with on hard courts. Earning the title against the 12th seeded Taylor Fritz by 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, he displayed remarkable tenacity, outmatching, outperforming and out hustling his adversary, who fought courageously towards the end.
Besides being the first male player from Italy to take home the US Open title, Sinner joins a select group of players who have won both the Australian and US Open in the same year since the switch to hard courts in 1988. Furthermore, his breakthrough year is rivalled only by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in the 21st century. By the end of 2024, he boasted an extraordinary 55-5 record, including an impressive 35-2 on hard courts, and six of his sixteen career titles being earned this year.
In the meantime, the rise of the 2000s generation in men’s tennis cannot be ignored. With the absence of a grand slam win from the big three for the first time since 2002, the division of titles between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has dominated the scene. Despite being at the early stages of their careers, the duo have already secured six major titles between them. Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev, both born in the 90s and with one grand slam each, remain the only other winners of a grand slam from their generation.
A mere month ago, Sinner revealed that he had twice been tested positive for the illegal drug clostebol in April. Despite the findings, an independent tribunal concluded that he was not at fault or negligent for having the drug in his system. The news prompted both confidential and open deliberations among other players in the week leading up to the tournament. Some players thought the anti-doping rules in tennis were not consistent, especially after Sinner successfully appealed his original temporary suspension, and continued to play without unveiling the positive outcomes.
Despite the looming uncertainties about his court date, Sinner competed every week. He obtained a victory in the Cincinnati Open, held in London last month, and felt a rush of relief as a result of the decision mirroring his favour. Although he is yet to consistently deliver his optimal performance in New York, he has been brilliant at key moments.
Meanwhile, a couple of evenings earlier, Fritz could hardly contain his emotion becoming the first US man to reach the US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2006. His remarkable progress affirms his ambition, hard work and resilience, as he capitalised on an open bottom half of the draw.
Entering Arthur Ashe Stadium once again, Fritz had a clear challenge. He was up against a superior adversary in terms of athleticism, return skills and overall skill – who was also in the peak of his career.
Fritz tried to counter his early anxiety and made an effort to shoot the first strike, but the athleticism gap with Sinner was palpable. Sinner’s skill to smoothly glide into balls, retaliate with strong push-backs and recover showed he was only second to Djokovic. Fritz’s pursuits ended quite promptly when he was pulled out wide.
Sinner’s blend of concentrated, powerful and swift strokes was domineering. But his ability to add force to his strikes at key moments of rallies added further to his dominance. Sinner claimed the first set, breaking Fritz’s serve once more to conclude the set at 6-3, leaving Fritz soundly defeated.
In a complete turnaround from the initial set where Fritz lost his serve thrice, he was able to generate a rhythm with his serve and both players confidently progressed through the second set. However, when the signs of scoreboard tension appeared, 5-4 in Sinner’s favour on Fritz’s serve, Sinner tightened his game. With an abundance of successful returns, he managed to maintain a flawless depth throughout and his superior defence caused Fritz to overshoot, making his mistakes accumulate. On obtaining set point, Sinner delivered a powerful backhand down the line, bringing the set to a quick end.
Fritz seemed to regain his strength just as Sinner appeared to gain an edge at 3-2 in the third set. With Arthur Ashe stadium nearly quaking, Fritz displayed his most aggressive stint of offensive tennis to avert the break point and emerged with a 5-3 lead. As per his performance throughout the tournament, Sinner rose to the challenge in crucial moments, systematically dismantling Fritz’s lead by securing the final four games of the match and bagging his second grand slam title. It’s evident that this wasn’t his last achievement. – Guardian