“It was an incredible moment,” Jannik Sinner reveals the greatest emotions he has ever felt as a tennis player
Jannik Sinner became the World No.1 for the first time in his career on June 10, 2024 at the Roland Garros
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Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP/X)
Jannik Sinner spoke with the press ahead of his return to professional tennis following a three-month ban. The US Open champion revealed the greatest emotion he has ever felt as a tennis player. The Italian has not played a competitive match since the Australian Open in January.
He currently sits comfortably at the top of the ATP rankings, despite being suspended. Sinner became the World No.1 in June last year after Novak Djokovic withdrew midway from the Roland Garros tournament due to injury. He became the first Italian player to achieve the top ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have failed to surpass the Italian despite him being away for three months. The duo won just one title each since his ban was announced in February. However, he’s set to return to the tour at the Italian Open and has a good chance of increasing his lead in the top of the ATP rankings, as Alcaraz might miss the tournament due to injury.
During an interview, he was asked what was his greatest emotional moment of his career. The Italian star revealed that it was when he was informed that he become the new World No.1 in the ATP.
The greatest emotion I’ve ever felt playing tennis? When I found out I would become number 1 in the world, it’s not just an achievement, it’s the result of an entire year. That, for me, was an incredible moment. Another crazy moment, as an Italian, is when you step onto the Centrale in Rome or Turin, it doesn’t even feel like you’re on a tennis court. It feels like a football stadium.
Jannik Sinner said via TG1
Sinner didn’t play at the Italian Open last year due to injury, which means he has no points to defend at the competition this year. That will give him a little bit of freedom as he aims to make a statement comeback to the men’s circuit.
Jannik Sinner reacts to criticism from players about his doping case
Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension has become the center of major discussion in tennis. The World No.1’s ban has been criticized by several players due to the nature of the case and the timing of the suspension. Serena Williams recently said that she would have gotten a 20-year suspension if she had tested positive for clostebol. Sinner defended himself during the aforementioned interview.
I don’t want to respond to criticism. People are free to say what they want and judge people. What matters to me is that I known what I’ve been through. It was difficult and I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through that as an innocent person.
Jannik Sinner said
Also, there has been a debate that Sinner’s three-month suspension was too lenient as many have revealed that they received a heavier ban for breaching almost the same doping rule.
Jannik Sinner says it was tough to accept the six-month ban from tennis
Jannik Sinner has often claimed his innocence in his doping case and has defended that the banned substance inadvertently entered his system after a mistake from his former physio. The three-time Grand Slam winner revealed that accepting a three-month ban was tough for him as he believed he didn’t do anything wrong.
I had a tough time accepting these three months. Because I knew that I didn’t do anything wrong. So why do I have to pay this price? But then we discussed it with my lawyer and about what could have happened in the worst-case scenario and so we decided to accept it.
Jannik Sinner said
Sinner began training with other professional players on April 13. He has been seen training with Matteo Berrettini and Jack Draper over the last couple of weeks. He will feature at the Hamburg Open, which comes after the Italian Open.
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