Jannik Sinner, Adriano Panatta reopens wound and gets straight to the point

Twenty-four hours later, the debate continues to remain open following the, in many ways unexpected, defeat of Jannik Sinner at the hands of a revitalized Novak Djokovic, capable of holding on for more than four hours and beating the South Tyrolean despite the fact that most of the statistics (first and foremost the one concerning overall points scored) were right on Sinner&#8217s side. From the columns of Corriere della Sera, Adriano Panatta had his say in no uncertain terms, trying to explain a defeat that, for the world number two, may nevertheless be a new starting point.

“Jannik for once remained far from the best version of himself – Panatta said, expressing himself bluntly -. He made trivial errors, was sometimes hasty, and always allowed Nole to get back into the game. Eight break points thrown to the wind in the fifth set on Djokovic’s first three serves. An event outside the norm, even mysterious for a player like Sinner, who makes solidity his permanent center of gravity. Yet, rowing against the tide, Djokovic was able to shape a tennis construction of the highest level, admirable in many ways”.

Francesco Lucivero

The 1970s blue champion then gave some dispassionate advice to the Sexton outfielder: “I don’t know how much the defeat will weigh on Sinner, of course it will hurt him, but it won’t be the end of the world. After seeking unpredictability, he will have to regain a modicum of solidity, unless the factors that came into play to make a difference are other, unknown to us”. Sinner will take some time off after the exertions in Australia but will likely return to the court as early as February, to better prepare for the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000s.

The U.S. dates will also be important in terms of ranking, as last year Sinner was unable to play them due to the suspension agreed with Wada over the so-called “Clostebol” case. The race for the top spot in the ranking, now firmly in the hands of Alcaraz, is anything but a foregone conclusion and could hold huge surprises between now and the next Slam (Roland Garros).

In the meantime, however, there is a final to be contested, a match that will pit two different generations of champions against each other, just as in the semifinals: on the one hand the rampant Carlos Alcaraz, who, however, struggled not a little in his own semifinal against Sascha Zverev, on the other a highly motivated Djokovic, not least because by winning he would conquer his 25th Slam, a record that is difficult to match.