Sinner asked about Djokovic winning his first gold medal and the Serb’s emotional reaction.
Jannik Sinner says Novak Djokovic’s extremely emotional reaction to winning the Paris Olympics is very understandable considering everything the Serb went through before accomplishing one of his biggest goals and dreams.
After Carlos Alcaraz won back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, it wasn’t a secret that many had him as the favorite in the Paris Olympics final versus Djokovic.
And indeed, Alcaraz delivered a great performance and played at a high-level throughout the entire final – but Djokovic did so as well – and he did it a bit better and clinched a 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) win in a two-set Olympic final that lasted nearly three hours. Had the match gone to a decider, the final would have very likely come near or top four hours of play – which would be absolutely insane.
“A very high-quality match, I’m sure everyone will agree. A very physically demanding match. When two of the best in the world face off, something special has to happen. It was a pleasure to watch such a match, I think everyone enjoyed it. You really don’t see a match like that every day,” Sinner said in his pre-tournament presser in Montreal.
This year, Djokovic has been very openly telling everyone that winning his first Olympic gold medal is his biggest goal and priority for this part of his career.
And after getting one and completing his astonishing resume to the absolute fullest, the 37-year-old celebrated very passionately and emotionally on the court – that included the Serb going down on his knees and sobbing tears of joy.
“Of course I understand, but I think he understands it more than anyone else. He tried so hard to get this medal, which was the last thing he needed to accomplish. He knew this in his mind. He was close a couple of times, making bronze or fourth a couple of times. This year was his year, and it was just a very nice scene, to see how much this means to him,” Sinner explained.
Sinner on his health issue and how he is feeling now
Just a couple of days before the start of the Olympics, world No. 1 Sinner announced that he was withdrawing from the event due to tonsilitis.
For 22-year-old Sinner, it was supposed to be his Olympic debut and he would have been among the top favorites for the gold medal in the French capital. Three years earlier, Sinner had a chance to play at the Tokyo Olympics but he decided against making his Olympic debut back then.
While not having Sinner was a major blow to the Italian Olympic team, they still had success in tennis events after Lorenzo Musetti won the bronze medal in singles while Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini won gold in women’s doubles.
“It broke my heart not to be able to go to Paris, the Games were one of my main goals for the season. In the end though, looking at everything from a broader perspective, Musetti won a bronze, so an Italian is happy and I am happy for him,” Sinner claimed.
Meanwhile, Sinner is ready to return to action at this week’s Montreal Masters – where he will be the defending champion since he won the Toronto Masters last year. Speaking to reporters, the 22-year-old Italian shared that he was taking antibiotic for a week but that he is feeling much better now.
“Tonsillitis was tough, I took antibiotics for almost a week and didn’t touch the racquet for days. When I left for Canada, I wasn’t in perfect condition, now I feel much better and stronger every day. I am happy to be here, where I won my first Masters 1000, I arrived early and with my team, we are preparing everything in the best way to defend the title and continue to be consistent, as we have been all year,” Sinner said.
Sinner on why he doesn’t view his top-seeding as something extraordinary
When Sinner won the tournament that was held in Toronto last year, he was world No. 8. Now, he is the top-ranked player in the world but insists that changes nothing in his approach or attitude.
“It’s just a different number. Me and my team, we try to make the process, our daily routine, to make everything in the best possible way and just try to be ready for every challenge that comes up.
I’m very happy to come back here. It started off from last year semis of Wimbledon and then I came here for the first Masters event I won. I’ve been very consistent throughout one year and that’s at least what we will try to do in the next months also,” Sinner said.
In Montreal, Sinner has a first-round bye before facing either Pedro Martinez or a qualifier.
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