Sinner 'One of Best World No. 1's In History' Says Former French Open Finalist

Friday, 22 November 2024 at 22:28

byJordan Reynolds

Jannik Sinner has been rated as one of the best No. 1 players in the sport's history by Argentina's Davis Cup captain, Guillermo Coria.

Sinner's Italy faced Coria's Argentina in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. The Italians, the defending champions, were heavy favorites to progress to the next stage of the finals in Malaga.

However, Argentina got off to the perfect start when Francisco Cerundolo defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the opening match of the tie. That meant Sinner needed to overcome Sebastian Baez to keep Italy's hopes alive.

Sinner lost just three games to thrash his opponent and take the tie to a doubles decider. Italy's captain, Filippo Volandri, decided to play Sinner and Matteo Berrettini instead of doubles specialists Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

That move proved to be astute. Berrettini, in particular, rose to the occasion, and the pair secured Italy's place in the semifinal by overcoming Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in straight sets.

Although Sinner's level in the singles might have shocked some who have not seen him before, those who follow tennis regularly have become accustomed to seeing the 23-year-old dominate his opponents on hardcourts, in particular.

Incredibly, Sinner has won his last 22 sets on the ATP Tour. His last dropped sets came against Carlos Alcaraz in an epic China Open final. The Spaniard outlasted his rival in a battle that lasted over three hours.

Sinner won the Shanghai Masters and the ATP Finals without dropping a set since that loss to Alcaraz. His maiden ATP Finals title was a special moment, being achieved in front of home fans in Turin.

He also won the Australian and US Opens this season, further demonstrating his hardcourt dominance. Sinner became the fastest player to guarantee the year-end No. 1 ranking since Novak Djokovic in 2015 due to his exceptional season.

Although undoubtedly disappointed to lose the Davis Cup tie to Italy, Argentinian captain and 2004 French Open runner-up Coria was gracious in defeat. He said the Italians were the better team and called Sinner one of tennis's best No. 1's.

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"We all knew Sinner’s level, the moment he is in. We faced one of the best number ones in history. His level did not surprise us at all. Because of that, one has to take into account three important things: how our players are physically, also the power of the rival and the alternatives we have to form in each of the points."

"Italy showed great respect for our doubles, leaving out a very competitive pair that came from the Finals and fielding the No 1 in the world even with little rest behind him."

"We were almost sure that it would have gone like this in the event of 1-1. Gonzalez and Molteni were prepared for this eventuality and I never thought of putting a singles player in their place. They deservedly won, we congratulate them."

Overcoming Italy was always going to be an uphill challenge for the Argentinians, but Coria and the rest of the team can be proud of their efforts against the defending champions.