Jannik Sinner: Paolo Crepet Explains the Italian Player’s Struggles
In an interview with *Corriere della Sera*, renowned psychiatrist Paolo Crepet analyzed the unique situation Jannik Sinner is currently facing. According to Crepet, the Italian player is still coming to terms with what happened a month ago in Paris, and his concerns are spilling over onto the court. “To this young man everyone in Italy is talking about, deep down, nothing dramatic has happened: it’s simply life. Jannik suffered from excessive pressure; he stayed in a forced situation for too long. He can’t go out for a slice of pizza, but in exchange, there’s glory. Yet he was the first to realize that he’s fallible, and that it could happen again. And he has accepted himself—he is accepting himself. He understands very clearly that the more you’re number one, the more fragile you are.”
“Let’s imagine how much anguish lies within that feeling, how he must have felt in Paris as he sensed the symptoms rising, which, minute by minute, took hold of his body.” According to Crepet, this is a unique opportunity for Sinner to grow: “So-called failure opens the door to possibilities. Otherwise, in twenty years, two robots will be playing the Wimbledon final: without sweat, imperfections, or mistakes. Without life. At Wimbledon, Jannik is testing his limits, amid doubts and trepidation. Today he has one more fear that makes him stronger and more self-aware. He is finally a sensitive champion, and that makes him truly great.”
“The curse of the physical connects Sinner and Alcaraz, the two human heroes. They are Ridley Scott’s duelists, opposites drawn to the same fate. The Spaniard, too, with this forced hiatus, faces an opportunity for growth—first and foremost, personal growth. Carlos and Jannik are weaving an intertwined story and fueling what we want from sports—namely, what we are not: better, smarter, more successful, more perfect.”
At a press conference, Sinner said that what happened at Roland Garros could come back to haunt him: “This is Jannik’s challenge: the man facing his fears. His body let him down in Paris, and at Wimbledon the ghosts of failure are haunting him again. The big difference is that now he knows them. He’s seen them, faced them, explored them. I don’t think he’s ever felt like Narcissus or Icarus. Nor has he ever been overly enamored with his own strength. In short, I don’t see any sin of hubris here. I rule out the possibility that, deep down, he ever felt invincible or believed those around him who told him he was. And if he ever felt like a god, well, he got his answer in Paris.”
According to Crepet, Sinner is changing and maturing: “At Wimbledon, Sinner is addressing his weaknesses just as much as his strengths. It’s easy to train your serve; it’s harder to live with doubts. In psychology, this is called coping: it’s the set of cognitive and behavioral strategies a person uses to overcome stressful situations. In Paris, Jannik encountered the other Jannik, and now he wants to get to know him. He has a great opportunity to understand what happens to a body that pushes past its limits. What happened may make him more cautious, but it certainly doesn’t make him weaker. And it’s helping him mature. He’s no longer a boy—he’s a man.”
