Jannik Sinner still has one goal before the end of the season. The world No. 1 who won eight titles in 2024 and just won the ATP Finals in Turin wants to help Italy win its second consecutive Davis Cup.
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The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria was the great protagonist of 2024, who finished at the top of the ATP ranking, trimming a huge gap to all his rivals. The Italian ace won two Grand Slam titles, three Masters 1000, the ATP Finals and two ATP 500, while he was unable to participate in the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
The 2-time Grand Slam champion is the best player in the world right now and although he doesn't have the peaks of his great rival Carlos Alcaraz he is much more consistent during the season. Jannik has collected more than 90% of wins from January until today and has suffered only six defeats, incredible numbers for a player of just 23 years old.
Italy have a good chance of repeating last year's triumph in Malaga, especially after the shocking elimination of Spain yesterday. The Italian team led by captain Filippo Volandri - who will make his debut against Argentina - can count on Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Berrettini, Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli.
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One last goal
In 2024, Sinner won 72 matches and suffered only six losses. His mere presence on the court inspires fear in opponents and he could also be deployed in doubles at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
After his win at the Nitto ATP Finals last week, the World No.1 reflected on his current level: I actually believe there is still gap of improvement. I mean, I served very, very good at times, which was not the case throughout the whole tournament.
There are still certain shots and points what I can make sometimes better, but are small details. The higher you play level-wise, the more details make the difference.
Im not looking about being the first whatever. Its just stats whats not written. Me, always try to improve as a player and trying to understand what I can do better. Lets see whats coming next year. The future, nobody can predict.
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The 2-time Grand Slam champion arrived in Malaga on Tuesday and immediately began practicing very hard with his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti. In the tie against Argentina, Sinner could face Sebastian Baez or Francisco Cerundolo. The most likely hypothesis is that the Argentine captain Guillermo Coria deploys Cerundolo, whose game can create more difficulties for Jannik. Francisco has already defeated the world No. 1 at the Miami Open in 2022 and at the Roma Masters 1000 last year.
Janniks level in 2024 shocked everyone, and his opponents had to recognize his superiority. Recently, former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev expressed his candid opinion on Sinner: I think he's great. But I would wonder if he would live in Italy how it would be because he doesn't. It's a little bit easier. Yeah, I mean, I think he deserves it. Like everything: the contracts, advertisements, whatever. He's a good-looking No. 1 in the world, wins a lot of tournaments. Very young, which is always attractive.
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He's 23. He has maybe 13, 14 years ahead of him where he can play, play, win, win. So it's normal. I think he feels fine with it. So why should I be sorry for him?"
Sinner's impressive mental strength
Sinner's mental strength has been even more evident during this season. The world number 1 had to deal with a very thorny doping case, which damaged his image although he was recognized as innocent by ITIA. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria could still be disqualified, as WADA has decided to appeal against the acquittal sentence.
At the same time, his growing popularity has made him the subject of gossip. In recent days, the rumor has circulated that his love-story with his colleague Anna Kalinskaya would have come to an end. The WTA star was not present in Turin last week and posted a series of photos on her social networks in which she was in Miami with some friends. In addition, the two champions have unfollowed each other on Instagram.
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The world number 1 has never wanted to talk much about this topic, preferring to protect his private life and focus only on tennis. There is no doubt that all these cases have undermined the serenity of the Italian player, who manages to forget everything when he enters the court. The 2-time Grand Slam champion will try to maintain this pace in 2025, in which he will have to defend many points during the year.
