Jannik Sinner confesses in press conference: "This thing bothers me"

Jannik Sinner, Rome’s undisputed star, will face compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in the round of 16 of the Internazionali d’Italia in an unprecedented derby. At the press conference, the Azure speaking about the match answered a particular question, “Did it ever happen to you, as it happened to other great champions, that you had to fool the fans in order not to be recognized and disguise yourself, for example, by wearing a wig?”

After a laugh, the Azure answered seriously, “No… it’s not that everything happened suddenly, it was always a gradual process. After the first Slam won, something changed in Italy, but I deal with everything very naturally. I try to protect my family, which is the most important thing for me. When they attack me, there is no problem… But when they attack my family, maybe it is a little annoying, because they are not people who seek attention.”

“But we are living everything very naturally. I think success has not changed me, and neither has my family. We are very normal people. I’m always surprised to see so many people watching, but I think it’s a good thing. We are many Italians, we are a group and we try to take Italy as high as we can.”

The derby with Pellegrino will not only be a challenge between compatriots, but also a date with history. Sinner comes to the eighth final on the strength of a streak of 13 consecutive wins on clay, which began in Monte Carlo, and especially 30 straight wins in Masters 1000 tournaments. A win against the Biscegliese would allow him to equal – and then, with further success at the Foro Italico, even surpass – the all-time record of 31 consecutive matches won in Masters 1000s, which belongs to Novak Djokovic.

Sinner’s path in Rome has been dominant so far: after dismissing Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in the opener, the world number 1 then swept aside Australia’s Alexei Popyrin with a clear 6-2, 6-0 win in less than an hour of play, despite having to contend with difficult wind conditions. Just by beating Popyrin, Sinner also accomplished a kind of “revenge” on behalf of his friend Matteo Berrettini, who was eliminated by the Australian in the first round.