The disappointment of losing in the Davis Cup Final did not stop Team Netherlands' captain, Paul Haarhuis, from jokingly offering Jannik Sinner a Dutch passport in case he wanted to switch allegiances.
Team Netherlands was the surprise package at this year's Davis Cup Finals. Most expected them to lose in the quarterfinal against Spain, whose team included Rafael Nadal in his final professional appearance before retiring.
Instead, the Dutchmen caused an upset that devastated the home fans in Malaga and millions of Nadal's fans worldwide. Botic van de Zandschulp defeated Nadal in what turned out to be his last match before retirement.
Carlos Alcaraz leveled the tie against Tallon Griekspoor, but Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp eliminated Team Spain and ended Nadal's career by beating Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers.
However, Team Netherlands was not done there. Van de Zandschulp and Griekspoor won their singles matches against Germany's Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff to set up a final against Italy.
The Italians proved too strong in the final. World No. 1 Sinner being on the team meant the Dutch desperately needed a victory in the opening match, but Berrettini defeated van de Zandschulp.
That meant Griekspoor had the unenviable challenge of beating Sinner to keep the team's hopes alive. To his credit, he fought bravely throughout the match but still fell to a 6-7, 2-6 loss that gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Winning the Davis Cup for a second time was the perfect end to Sinner's sensational season. Triumphing at the US Open, Australian Open, ATP Finals, and finishing as the year-end No. 1 were some of his other highlights from 2024.
Sinner's incredible season led to him achieving some insane feats. One of those was becoming the first player in tennis history to win two Grand Slams, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, in the same year.
Haarhuis acknowledged how good Sinner is by saying he had offered him a Dutch passport when shaking hands after the match before getting more serious and congratulating him on a terrific season.
"I told him we have a Dutch passport for him next year. We will do anything, because he speaks German so Dutch will be very easy for him to learn."
"And then I said congratulations fantastic year, you know, his year was fantastic. Ending number 1, winning the Davis Cup for the second time, and he told me that was the last time he played Davis Cup for Italy. So I was very happy to hear that."
Sinner was almost certainly joking when he told Haarhuis he was quitting the Davis Cup. Top players sometimes skip the event if fatigued, but the two-time Grand Slam champion deciding to never play it again at the age of 23 would be dramatic.
Hopefully, Sinner is getting a deserved rest before preparations for the 2025 season begin. His defense of the Australian Open title will occur in January, and the verdict from the Italian's much-publicized doping case is also expected in early 2025.
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