Jannik Sinner, surprise fan pops up: even Bernie Ecclestone in Madrid
Jannik Sinner beat Rafael Jodar at the end of two throbbing sets at the Caja Magica, hitting the Madrid Masters 1000 semifinals for the first time in his career. Watching the 6-2, 7-6(0) match between the ATP No. 1 and the 2006 class who is enchanting Spain and the world, however, was also an exceptional fan. In fact, Bernie Ecclestone himself popped up in the stands at Manolo Santana Stadium. The historic boss of Formula 1, now 95 years old, peeped into the audience, inevitably being immortalized by the cameras as he watched with great attention the exploits of the two champions.
The match, which lasted a total of one hour and 56 minutes, was played with the roof closed on the Manolo Santana Stadium: a condition that in the end rewarded the blue, as per fears expressed on the eve of the match by the Spanish press. ‘Marca’ had pointed out that Sinner boasts extraordinary indoor numbers, with 91 wins in 112 indoor matches and an 81.3 percent success rate. For Jodar, on the contrary, it was still an unfamiliar context, with just four career matches played indoors and a record of two wins and two losses.
The second set, in particular, told how dearly the young Madrilenian sold his skin: Sinner had to cancel no less than five break points to the 2006 class, two in the sixth game and even three in the eighth, before finding his way to the tie-break. It was only in the final that Jodar fell apart, with the South Tyrolean able to string together eleven consecutive points between the twelfth game and the final act, which closed with a clear 7-6(0) without conceding a single point to his opponent.
To seal the great respect he had gained for his young opponent, Sinner dedicated to him the message he now traditionally writes on the camera along with his autograph: “What a player,” meaning a roundabout “What a player” that is worth more than a thousand words. His warm statements went in the same direction: “Jodar is an incredible player, he pushed me to the limit. This was the first time I played against him, let’s say in the next ones I will know what to expect. I am so happy with this match, the level of quality was high. I was also a little lucky in the second set, but now we think about the next round. To have hit the semifinals for the first time at the Madrid Open is worth so much.”
For Jodar, however, it is a head-on exit at the end of an extraordinary tournament. The Madrid native, born and raised in the Spanish capital, had made it to the quarterfinals at his third career Masters 1000, eliminating in order Jesper de Jong, top 10 Alex de Minaur, Brazilian Joao Fonseca and finally Czech Vit Kopriva with a clear 7-5, 6-0. A path that had made him forget, at least temporarily, the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who was stuck in the pits due to a wrist problem, and that had prompted Boris Becker to remark, “He reminds me of Sinner, he is a very complete player.”
It is no coincidence that Sinner himself had already expressed in the previous days a deep esteem for his opponent, after studying him carefully: “In the hotel I had managed to review his whole match with Fonseca: he plays at a really high level. He is a player of great quality and I am convinced that we will cross paths often in the future.” The South Tyrolean had then added how the quarterfinal could have a value beyond the simple result: “Facing him already here will be useful, also to understand the feelings in view of important appointments like Rome and Roland Garros.” Words that find a significant echo in the profile of Jodar, who grew up looking precisely at Sinner as a model: “I think he is a great player and the reference to follow for me,” had declared the Spaniard, with whom he shares physical structure, attitude and clean strokes, especially in the backhand.
With today’s victory, Sinner continues his hunt for a historic feat: the fifth consecutive Masters 1000, a goal that no player has ever managed to achieve in the past. In the semifinals, the Italian will find the winner between Arthur Fils and Jiri Lehecka, the Czech who has already proven his worth in this tournament by eliminating Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16 with a clear double 6-3.
