How 'Special' Sinner Led Italy To Davis Cup Win Even Without Practice

Jannik Sinner's incredible improvement in 2024 has been proven again by the World No. 1, playing a pivotal role in Italy's Davis Cup quarterfinal triumph despite not practicing beforehand.

Sinner played at the ATP Finals on home soil in Turin last week. It had already been a special season for him after winning his maiden Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open.

Those achievements and his outstanding consistency throughout 2024 meant he had already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking before the ATP Finals began, becoming the fastest man to achieve that since Novak Djokovic in 2015.

But that did not reduce Sinner's motivation. After being the runner-up to Djokovic at last year's ATP Finals, the 23-year-old was determined to go a step further at this year's iteration of the ATP's season-ending tournament.

Sinner achieved that goal in style. He did not drop a set throughout the 2024 ATP Finals, including dropping just three games against Casper Ruud and beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, in the final.

The world No. 1's run at the ATP Finals meant he did not have much time to recover for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Some wondered if Sinner might withdraw from the team event after a long and grueling season.

However, Sinner may have been motivated by the memories from last year's Davis Cup Finals. He played inspired tennis to lead Team Italy to its first Davis Cup title since 1976, including beating Djokovic.

When he stepped onto the court in this year's quarterfinal against Argentina, his team was in trouble. Lorenzo Musetti had lost in the opening match, meaning the Italians would be eliminated if they lost another match.

But Sinner did not let that happen. After thrashing Sebastian Baez in singles, he teamed up with Matteo Berrettini in the doubles to secure Italy's place in the semifinals with a 2-1 victory in the tie.

Sinner performing at a high level would not have surprised fans after his superb 2024 season, but it was particularly impressive after he got no time to practice before facing the Argentinians.

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The two-time Grand Slam champion arrived in Malaga late after winning the ATP Finals and did not practice. Yet that did not stop him from quickly finding a rhythm against Baez, leading to Italian captain Filippo Volandri calling him special afterward.

Despite receiving high praise from his captain, Sinner was much more humble about his performance in the doubles. The US Open champion felt Berrettini carried him and said he just tries to do his best when picked for doubles.

Italy will face Australia in the semifinal. The Australians managed an upset against the USA, a tie that included a highly controversial doubles decision from the American captain, Bob Bryan.

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