After his second win in a row at the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner returned to Italy and took a few days off. The world No.1 needed to recharge his batteries after dominating the first Grand Slam of the season, in which he showed he had no opponents on the hard courts.
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In the final against the current world number 2 Alexander Zverev, the Italian ace reaffirmed all his superiority by prevailing in three sets and not conceding a single break point to his opponent who was trying to win the first Major title of his career.
The day after his victory at Melbourne Park, the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria announced that he would not defend the title won in Rotterdam in 2024. The 3-time Grand Slam champion will only play the Doha ATP 500 this month, wanting to return to the court only when he is in top shape.
Panattaon Sinner's choice
In recent days, Jannik's choice not to even travel to Rome to meet the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella together with the other members of the Italian Davis Cup team has caused much discussions.
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Sinner justified his decision with the need to rest after the long Australian trip, but last weekend he was immortalized while skiing with some children in Val Pusteria. Several fans and insiders have criticized him for his alleged lack of respect towards Mattarella.
On the latest episode of 'La Domenica Sportiva', Italian legend Adriano Panatta defended the world number 1: "I would have gone to Sergio Mattarella. However, I believe that he made this decision together with his team to preserve that bubble that is allowing him to win everything. For him it is more important to rest, train and go skiing than to meet the President of the Republic.
I think he made a mistake, but that's how it is now. Last year he went to the Quirinale after winning the Davis Cup, so I wouldn't criticize him too much for this choice."
