Jannik Sinner, lucky there’s a downside: at worst, it’s still a success.
To say that Daniil Medvedev was angry would not give an idea of what feelings he really felt on the court during the first round of the first edition of the Six Kings Slam. He knew very well, the Russian, that the risk of losing the crown already on the debut was very high. But maybe he didn’t think, that he really didn’t, that he would be helpless and impotent before the world number 1.
He has faced him so many times and on many of those occasions he has managed to either stand up to him or, even, beat him. Not on Wednesday, though. In Riyad he was absolutely unable to defuse Jannik Sinner, who won in 2 sets and did not concede even a game to him as part of the first partial. He was irrepressible, unplayable, so much so that several times his opponent vented frustration on his racket, repeatedly hitting the concrete with it.
It was of no use, in any case, to vent in that way. Medvedev lost anyway and could do nothing but take note of the superiority of the South Tyrolean in that circumstance. “I’ve never played, in my opinion, against someone who played like Jannik today,” he said in a press conference, ”I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t know what to do. “
Sinner, ill be a success
Fortunate, at least that, that it was worth flying to Saudi Arabia. Because while it is true that the Russian tennis player, currently fifth in the Atp rankings, has already abdicated in the quarterfinals, everything can be said except that he returned home empty-handed
The Six Kings Slam, in case anyone is unaware, is the tournament with the highest prize money of all time. The winner will pocket €6 million, while everyone else will receive a check equal to €1.5 million. This means that Medvedev, playing just one match, has won practically the equivalent, or so, of what the winner of a Slam cashes in. And there is more, to be even more nitpicky.
The match between him and Sinner lasted 68 minutes, which means, calculator in hand, that the world No. 5 earned $21,739 per minute of play. Breaking it down further, he took home 362 euros per second. It could definitely have been worse for him, in short, let’s put it this way. Defeated but rich.