Italian Tennis Legend Believes Jannik Sinner Proved He’s “Limitless” at the Wimbledon Championships

Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta has always been vocal about his support for Jannik Sinner, this time around praising the Italian star for his triumph at the Wimbledon Championships. The 24-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev on Sunday (July 12) to claim his first Grand Slam of the season and fifth of his career.

Sinner had failed to reach the final of the first two major tournaments this season, and there were growing concerns that his struggles at the French Open would be replicated at Wimbledon. He had fallen apart physically at Roland Garros last month after going up two sets against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.

He allowed the Argentine star to rally from behind and win three consecutive sets. After the defeat, several Italian outlets reported that Sinner was monitored and had to see sports doctors to determine the cause of the sudden setback. Even though nothing was revealed about that issue, Sinner didn’t take part in any warm-up tournament ahead of Wimbledon.

In his opening match against Miomir Kecmanović, he shrugged off a near upset, beating the Serbian star in five sets. But after that, began to deliver a consistent performance on the court, including beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-finals. The World No.1 came from a set down to beat Zverev at the Center Court in the final.

Zverev has won the French Open and was in good form before their clash, but that didn’t affect the match much, as Sinner dominated proceedings for more than three hours. In Adriano Panatta’s column at Corriere della Sera, he pointed out that Sinner’s improvement from his state at the French Open to Wimbledon is almost scandalous:

His potential for improvement is almost scandalous. It seems limitless. He’s 24; he’ll soon be 25, and he pays attention to his development in a way that does him credit. I don’t know how far he’ll go, but I know that in the coming months, we’ll see him constantly improving. Finally, after what happened in Paris, the sudden setback against the younger Cerundolo brother, the lengthy tests at San Raffaele Hospital, and the many doubts he must have had…

Sinner has now won six of the last seven tournaments he has played in, with only one defeat in the past three months. The Italian star will seek to win more titles in the second half of the season, most especially during the North American hard-court swing. He’s expected to play at the Canadian Open next month.

Jannik Sinner still focused on improving his game after his Wimbledon triumph

One of Jannik Sinner’s strengths on tour has been his willingness to improve after every tournament. The Italian star never believes he has arrived even when he delivers some of the best performances on the court. On several occasions, pundits have drawn similarities between him and Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer, but that doesn’t affect his focus and discipline.

That has set him apart from other players on tour, making him among the best players of his generation (if not the best). After defeating Alexander Zverev at the Wimbledon Championships final, he admitted that he’s always seeking to improve on his game in the middle of tournaments, even when winning matches:

That’s exactly what I needed. I was looking for this improvement, a player improvement, from my side. We made it happen. Of course, mentally you need to make the switch, as well, to be able to do so. But I’m very happy how I handled the situation, especially this year. Now it’s time to enjoy.

Sinner might even hope to claim as many titles as he can before his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz returns to the court. Alcaraz has not featured in a competitive match since April 14, after beating Otto Virtanen in the second round of the Barcelona Open. He injured his right wrist and has been sidelined since then.

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