“My right knee is giving me some trouble.” Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and continues to work in Italy ahead of the US Open. A precautionary choice that confirms the priority given by the world number one to his physical condition, but in the meantime, a definitely lighter side of his life away from the court also emerges. This is told by Darren Cahill, Sinner’s longtime coach, in Matthew Futterman’s book The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.
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Even when it comes to playing cards, in fact, Jannik does not seem willing to give his opponents any space. His specialty is burraco, and Cahill jokes about the Italian’s competitiveness: “We have to watch out for Jannik. He’s a bit of a magician. Every now and then some cards disappear while we play, and you have to keep an eye on him.” The problem, however, is that Sinner has a flaw that’s hard to hide: his face. “Usually, when he smiles, we know that something didn’t go smoothly, that something was replaced,” Cahill says. So much so that he makes the heaviest joke: “He would be kicked out of a Las Vegas casino pretty quickly.”
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Behind the irony, however, there is the portrait of an extremely competitive champion, a quality that emerges especially when he returns to the field that really matters, tennis. Cahill recounts how Sinner reacts to defeats: “Of course, right after losing he is disappointed, as is normal. But already the next day we receive a call: ‘Alright guys, what do we do now? When do we get back on the court? What do we work on? What is the next goal? What do we need to improve?‘” This is probably the most interesting detail of the story: the ability to quickly turn disappointment into work. A mentality that, according to his coach, represents one of the main weapons of the number one.
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