Jannik Sinner world number 1. The tennis theme of the week is inevitable, both today and subsequent ones, also because it will not remain at the top for just one week, but for many. This, but not only, was discussed in the most recent episode of TennisManiabroadcast hosted by Dario Puppo (journalist and commentator for Eurosport) and visible on the OA Sport YouTube channel.
The beginning focuses on two themes linked to each other, namely the already celebrated Nike brand letter and the question that Puppo himself had asked about his role as standard-bearer: “Sinner’s letter to number 1? I see it as a tribute to Kobe Bryant, when he wrote Dear Basketball. This Nike advertisement made me remember why I said that there could be no one else other than Sinner as standard bearer at the Olympics: it was pretty clear that he would become number 1, I said it on the eve of the semi-final with Alcaraz in Indian Wells . The fact that Nike, which has invested so much in Sinner, has chosen this campaign, makes me think that certain messages have passed from him. In this I think he broke a wall, made a breach. I find this campaign significant because I can’t think of Italian athletes with exposure and valorization like this. True, it’s tennis, it’s the era of social media, but when they contested this statement I didn’t make it because I didn’t think it was right for others to occupy that role of standard-bearer, but because of the exposure that would then be created if things had gone as they did.. Not now, but Sinner will probably become the greatest Italian sportsman, while waiting for others. Obviously if Jacobs wins his second gold medal in the 100 meters what do you want to tell him? It would be something sensational. Despite this, Sinner’s exposure, especially if he continues to win, will be unparalleled“.
A very interesting observation comes about the locations of the 28 number 1s: “A good part of the number 1s dedicated messages collected by the ATP to Sinner, the best one from Agassi. I went to see the number 1s that preceded Jannik. Sesto Pusteria is probably the most remote place, compared to the trajectories of world tennis, from which a number 1 can arrive or has arrived, apart from Djokovic, for what he experienced when he was a boy (the war), with the alarms going off in the waterless swimming pool where he played against the wall. Why? If you go and look, tennis is found especially in the metropolises. Jannik comes from a place in the corner of Italy, where getting to a big tennis club isn’t so easy to organize. He grew up in this mountain town where his parents ran a refuge, which is not the classic mountain refuge, but a valley bottom, which can be reached from Moso, which borders Sesto Pusteria, crossing the Val Fiscalina which is an alternative route to go to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the normal route is from Misurina), one of the most beautiful mountain places that exist“.
And he continues, citing many places: “It remains a remote place compared to the trajectories of tennis. The three Swedes come from not too big places. Borg was born in Stockholm, but lived in the hinterland. The Russians are from Moscow except Kafelnikov who is from Sochi, which at the time was still a different world. Australians all come from big cities. Rafter is perhaps the only one from a slightly more marginal place (but he was number 1 shortly, a week). McEnroe was born in Germany (Wiesbaden). Jannik was born in San Candido, the hospital is there. But he’s not from there, he’s from Sesto Pusteria. Another one who comes from a marginal place is Agassi, the Las Vegas Kid. Sampras is from California, but was born in Washington DC. Many were born in Florida including Courier, Connors is from Illinois. McEnroe is basically from Brooklyn. You can reconstruct, if you go and see, who the number 1s were before the computer, when they were masters of journalism who designated them. I’m only talking about male number 1s, not female ones. Djokovic grew up on a mountain, then started training in Belgrade. It is truly unusual that a place like Sesto Pusteria could have given birth to a world number 1. I think with his career Sinner will find himself on a planet alone. Inhabitant one“.
We then return to Agassi’s message, which found a very beautiful interpretation: “I told you at the beginning of the most beautiful message, that of Agassi: ‘I’ll try to tell you like this: if the Universe invented to organize a tennis tournament, the Earth would send you’. Now, Agassi was also trained by Darren Cahill, of the Harry Hopman school (Laver, Rosewall, Hoad). Agassi’s story reminds me a bit of Lisa Vittozzi’s, to hell and back“.
Small passage, among the answers, on Sinner’s designated rival (with whom he is, in any case, on excellent terms): “In Roland Garros Alcaraz shone less than in other tournaments, see US Open with victories in the fifth set and Wimbledon in which Djokovic was chasing the eighth“.
There is also space for what was declared about Sinner and Alcaraz by a number 1 who, in 1988, found a annus mirabilis: “Wilander? He is also legitimized by the fact that he was a great world number 1. I don’t remember, except perhaps Djokovic at Wimbledon, someone like Wilander who becomes world number 1 against the one who was number 1 for a long time, Ivan Lendlchanging tactical strategy, beating him in the final in five sets at the 1988 US Open after winning the Australian Open and ruining the party at Pat Cash in the new facility and it was Australia Day, and after winning Roland Garros. He said that the real number 1 is Alcaraz, but that’s not the case. Number 1 is Sinner“.
