Jannik Sinner is confident. He arrives at Wimbledon with the aura of the big favorite, the world number 1, the star that everyone wants a piece of, starting with those fans who peek out of the All England Club, outside the players’ area, hoping to see the Italian. “I’m very happy to be here,” he says. “There’s a very special tournament coming up, I’m happy with how I played last week and I hope to find good form.”
trust
—
The 22-year-old Italian arrives at Wimbledon in much better condition than at Roland Garros. “I arrived in Paris with many doubts, here I feel better physically,” Jannik says in the imposing Media Theatre, the cinema-like room where the tournament’s big shots like him hold press conferences. “After Paris I took a few days off and then I started again, I arrive here with no doubts about my body like I had then because we worked hard and I’m not worried. I’m happy to be here and I’m ready to compete. On grass when you have confidence it helps you and I have a lot of it. Last week was important for me, last year I reached the semi-finals here so I know I can play well. Of course, every year is different and every tournament has different conditions: I’m trying to get used to it here, build my confidence. There’s no point in thinking about the seeding: here everyone wants to win and I can’t wait to get started and play good tennis.”
Don’t miss Wimbledon live streaming on NOW. Activate the Sports Pass from €14.99 per month and enjoy Sky Sports in streaming!
passion
—
Sinner is everywhere in London, from VIP parties to advertisements on the tube. However, he says that celebrity hasn’t changed him, that he still surrounds himself “with people I love very much because I feel safe with them”, that all this attention doesn’t affect him. Also because for him tennis remains a passion. “I always say that I’m lucky – he explains in a meeting with journalists in which he switches easily from English to Italian to German -. I started with tennis as a hobby, it became my job and in my mind it is still a hobby. I love playing and I think there is nothing better than doing it in big stadiums. I know how much I sacrificed to get to where I am, I always feel a great honor when I take the field. It’s one of the reasons why I love tennis, because you can’t take anything for granted.” This is also why Sinner doesn’t take winning Wimbledon for granted. Even if he comes to us as world number 1, even if the vast majority of attention is for him. In his head there is only the first match, Monday’s match against the German Hanfmann. The rest is something to conquer, something that Jannick is never more ready to take than this time.
