Jannik Sinner proved to be a hero for Italy at the 2023 Davis Cup, winning multiple crucial matches, including the one against Novak Djokovic.
Sinner has had a really strong finish to the year with a trophy at the Vienna Open, a final at the ATP Finals, and now the Davis Cup. He played Novak Djokovic three times and beat him twice, one of which was a crucial win to save his country from elimination.
The end result of all of that was him beating Alex de Minaur on Sunday to give Italy the second point needed to clinch the trophy. While he was the MVP, he didn't take full credit for it, praising his teammates, even those who didn't play.
Matteo Berrettini made the trip to Malaga despite being unable to play as he's still recovering from injury. He stood there with his teammates, offered advice, cheered, and clapped as they secured the country's first Davis Cup trophy in 47 years.
After the match, Sinner praised Berrettini for being there even if he couldn't play. He contributed however he could, even though he wasn't obliged to be there.
Huge thanks to Matteo. He’s had a very tough year with a lot of injuries. It means a lot to us that he came here for all of us. He gave us a lot of positive energy. Thanks Matteo. All the time, we kept everything together. Yesterday we were 1 point away from being out. Today we get to celebrate the win. We are very, very happy.
It won't be long before Berrettini returns to the tennis courts, and we can't wait. He's a fantastic tennis player who belongs on the courts, and hopefully, it will happen at the start of the year. It's been far too long without the Italian hammer hammering away.