Sinner, it hurt even more this time. Now that he has learned his lesson, he has vowed not to fall for it again.
Let’s put ourselves in Botic van de Zandschulp’s shoes. Not only did Jannik Sinner bar his way in the first round of the Australian Open. A month later it also jeopardized his chance to advance to the Atp 500 in Rotterdam. It fits, then, that right now he is the No. 1 nightmare for the Dutchman, who looked inconsolable Wednesday night at the end of the match.
The Highlander whacked him well and it is safe to say that he did not leave him the slightest escape. He closed the accounts in record time and didn’t exactly grant him, so to speak, an audience. van de Zandschulp knew it was going to be a battle against windmills, but credit to him, nonetheless, for trying. That he tried hard. But by now he knows, as does everyone else, that against this dazzling version of blue there is nothing to be done.
Precisely in light of this realization, the Wageningen native spent some beautiful words towards his San Candido opponent. Accompanied, moreover, by a joke that made the press room gasp. When asked what this match had taught him, he responded as follows, “I learned that I no longer have to play in tournaments where Sinner is present. “
Sinner, the lesson was served: here’s what he learned
Beyond van de Zandschulp’s humor, much was said about Jannik and his incredible skills during the press conference following the match. The Dutchman revealed, first of all, that he sensed a “newness” in his game compared to the last time he had faced him in Melbourne.
“He definitely serves much better,” said Botic, “Today (Wednesday, ed.) when I was ahead 0-40 in the first game of the second set, he made five winning serves. I didn’t really notice extraordinary differences between Australia and here, though. He had played very well then, too.”
When, then, he was asked whether in his opinion Sinner actually has the skills and qualities to climb to the top of the world, he did not linger a bit: “He won the Australian Open by beating the world number one, so yes I think he can become number one soon. From October onward,” he continued, “he has lost only one match, from the US Open onward he has had incredible consistency. Wounded in pride, but sincere to the end.
