Isaac Tiomkin
Jannik Sinner holding up his Australian Open trophy.
Scintillating is a word commonly used by tennis commentators. It refers to something that is sparkling, something emanating a brilliant light. At 22 years old, Jannik Sinner is living that word, embodying its essence as he dominates the world of tennis. His potential is seemingly limitless; he has a vice grip on the sport already, his commanding groundstrokes proving nearly impossible to play against for any opponent.
However, Sinner was not always such a dominant tennis player. In fact, he was not even a tennis player to begin with. Hailing from San Candido, Italy, his first love was skiing. The Alps were his backyard, and he began to compete from a young age. At eight years old, he became the Italian National Slalom Ski champion. He soared down the mountain, outpacing the rest of the competition (not unlike his current tennis game). Despite his dominance on the mountain, his thrill for skiing had been overcome by fondness and talent on the tennis court. It was then that Sinner had determined that tennis was his passion. He resolved to turn pro, earning a scholarship at Ricardo Piatti’s tennis academy in order to realize his dream.
Since he turned to professional tennis in 2018, his game has continually evolved into the complete power player that he is today. He has flown through the rankings. At the start of 2019, Sinner sat at a meager 553rd in the world. By the end of 2020, he had risen up to 37th. He now sits at second in the world, fresh off an absolutely stellar performance at the Australian Open. It was the youngster’s first Grand Slam, a monumental achievement in the tennis world. Sinner tore through the start of the tournament without dropping a single set. He annihilated big names such as world number 15 Karen Khachanov, as well as world number five Andrey Rublev. It was in the semi-finals, however, that many believed his mythical run was to cease. He was to play one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tennis players to have ever lived: Novak Djokovic. Not only is Djokovic a legend of the sport, but also a ten-time champion in Australia.
Refusing to back down from the occasion, Sinner began to play absolutely sublime tennis. His forehand shredded Djokovic’s signature defense, leaving the Serbian to question whether anything could have even been done against the Italian maestro. He dispatched Djokovic in four sets, forcing him to a tiebreak in the only set that Djokovic managed to win against Sinner.
The finals proved far tougher for the wonderkid. He faced Daniil Medvedev, the favorite apart from Djokovic to win the tournament. Although Sinner went toe to toe with the Russian at every point, Medvedev soon found himself at a comfortable two-set lead. Sinner, however, would not allow anyone to halt his drive to win. Turning on the afterburners, Sinner began to hammer his signature forehand, cracking Medvedev’s cool composure. Relentless, he put his all into every single shot. He fought. And ultimately, he won. He was able to rebound from the deficit and ultimately collapse onto the court as his winning predecessors had done before him.
Sinner has now achieved the holy grail of tennis, a Grand Slam, and doesn’t seem to be limiting himself to just Australia. Since his victory in Melbourne in January, he has not slowed down at all, setting his sights on the future. He is a scintillating talent eager to play against the best and to win against the best.