Italian tennis star
Jannik Sinner has stated that he is ‘happy’
with how he has dealt with the situation after winning the
US Open 2024. The
23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best men’s tennis players in the singles category in the world, along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz
and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
On Sunday, Sinner lifted his second Grand Slam as he defeated
America’s Taylor Fritz in the final of the US Open in New York in straight sets
with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. He became the first Italian player in the Open
era to lift the singles title at the Flashing Meadows. The win was a special one
for the reigning top player in the ATP rankings, as before the tournament
started, he was in the news for the wrong reasons.
The San Candido-born recently escaped a ban after testing
positive for a banned substance in two doping tests. The International Tennis
Integrity Agency (ITIA), in a detailed statement, clarified why they decided not
to ban Sinner and accepted the player’s plea that the banned substance was positive
in his sample in a very small quantity because of a mistake from one member of
the coaching staff.
That decision, however, received widespread criticism from
fans on the social media including some of the current and former players as
well. Sinner, talking to the media after the title triumph, highlight how
important the victory was and also stated that he was proud of the way he dealt
with things.
“I'm happy how I handled this one,” he said. “I'm just
excited to have this trophy with me. It was and it's still a little bit in my
mind. It's not that it's gone, but when I'm on court, I try to focus about the
game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way. Obviously it was
very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. During this tournament,
slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. It was not
easy, that's for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I
guess I've done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and
that's it. I just can talk from my side and from my team's perspective, and we
are all very proud of this achievement."
