The Italian appeared emotional after his triumph in New York.
It was already clear before the tournament began that Jannik Sinner was in excellent form. And the Italian delivered. Even if he didn’t play his best tennis all the time, Sinner knew how to improve when it was necessary. His first win in Flushing Meadows was a historic one.
Following in Federer’s footsteps
Sinner was only the fourth man after Mats Wilander, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to complete the hard court double with victories in New York and Melbourne within a calendar year. And he is unbeaten in eleven matches on the tour. Before the last Grand Slam of the year, the 23-year-old also triumphed in the dress rehearsal in Cincinnati. In the world rankings, Sinner is over 3000 points ahead of Alexander Zverev (GER), who is now the first pursuer – ahead of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt. Her health is not good.
“This title means so much to me. The most recent phase of my career was not easy,” said Sinner, probably referring to the doping scandal that became public before the tournament. But the South Tyrolean also seems to be going through turbulence in his private life.
Worries off the pitch
“I love tennis. I train a lot for these games. But I also know that there is a life waiting for me off the court. I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt. Her health is not good and I don’t know how long I will have her. It’s nice that I can share this positive moment with her,” Sinner said in an interview after the game. His greatest wish is therefore “the best health for everyone. But unfortunately that is not possible.”
Fritz, who lost the final, was also emotional. The Californian would have loved to end the American dry spell at the US Open – Andy Roddick triumphed in New York in 2003 as the last man standing. “You’ve been waiting a long time for a champion. Sorry that I didn’t make it this time. But I’ll keep working,” Fritz managed to finish the sentence before his voice threatened to fail.
