Jannik Sinner is one of the best players in the world, but for much of his professional career, he was trailing other players, and it didn't bother him.
When you say somebody is a great competitor, you generally mean that they have a fire burning inside of them, wanting to beat everybody. Sinner is a tremendous competitor, and he has that fire in him, but he's never let it overtake him.
The Italian never really looked around and thought of himself as a failure. He was always very patient with his progress, focusing on improving as a player daily. That approach saw him overtaken by some other players like Carlos Alcaraz, but now they're about equal.
Things finally clicked for him last year, culminating at this year's Australian Open, where he won his maiden Grand Slam trophy. He's never focused on other players or felt jealous of those who are better.
In fact, he hopes that his play and some of the things other Italians have been doing inspire some kids to overtake them in the future, as he said ahead of the 2024 Miami Open.
"It's growing a little bit tennis, we're doing great job, me and the Davis Cup team, trying to inspire the new generation, which should be the goal."
"After great players, hopefully come new players and new inpirations, and that's why we're here for. There's no need to be jealous about someone who is better, just be happy that maybe he inspires more."
Sinner's mindset is pretty nice as a competitor. There is something to be said about an athlete's ego, and it's a very real thing, but Sinner seems unbothered by all of it.
He just plays the game at his own pace and tries his best. Everything else matters very little to him. It's not that common, to be fair, but it's certainly fantastic to see.
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