Jannik laugh, you're in the final

"It will be a special day, but in the end it's just a tennis match." Sport, work, the border between life and legend: the worlds interpenetrate, but ultimately for Jannik Sinner there is always something more important than tennis, even a Slam final. Tomorrow against Zverev (9,30, free-to-air on Nove and with subscription on Sky and Dazn) the title is being played in Australia in what could be a sensational hat trick and he is the first Italian to do it, yet he never forgets where he comes from. From a family with values, which emerge inexorably from the crust of a player dressed in ice. Even when, a few moments after beating Shelton (7-6, 6-2, 6-2, and victory number 20 in a row celebrated with an ad hoc pizza) in an unpredictable semifinal he calls his team "family" and has the strength to joke when the cramps make themselves felt. All the coaches I've had have given me so much. "I've made important choices since I was 13 years old - Jannik replies to a Courier who asks what will happen after Cahill in his team -. He and Vagnozzi are a good couple, even if they have a big age difference". The Italian doesn't want to think about the retirement of the super Italian coach: "We'll talk about it at the end of the season, because here it's still long". But the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria now has the head and physique of a veteran. All that is needed to defeat problems like the virus that almost made him lose the match against Rune, or the thigh cramps, treated yesterday by the physiotherapist (and with two bottles of cucumber juice) in the middle of the decisive set. Jannik closed in three sets a match that could have become damned complicated, letting the calm of the mountain lake triumph over the fireworks at the service of the American, the virtue of hard work that defeats the genius of recklessness armed with an explosive serve. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria says he is happy with how he handled the situation: "Winning the first set was crucial. I tried to stay focused and calm in the most delicate moments, especially in the game in which he served for the set and in the tie break. There I played well, I was solid and this gave me confidence for the other two sets".

The next obstacle is served by the practically two meters of muscles of Alexander Zverev. The German has reached the same number of Slam finals as Jannik, but has never won a title. He is hungry and rested, because his opponent yesterday, none other than Novak Djokovic, retired after just one set due to a thigh problem. "Too much pain" compared to a match that could have become a marathon.

There it happens that the challenge becomes a little soap opera, the audience that gets a bit angry with the Serbian champion for the show interrupted too early. Sasha then defends him, and Nole reveals his 'endorsement' towards the German: "I wish him the best, he deserves his first Slam".

The Italian doesn't care: "I know they're friends". Instead, he's focused on the final against a player who has snatched four of his previous direct matches (which were actually quite old). Italy is ready to glue itself to the TV as it has been for a year now: "There will be pressure and a lot of expectations, it will be a special day, but in the end it's just a tennis match - adds the South Tyrolean -. I hope to do things well, otherwise the final will still be a good result. With Sasha it will be a mental challenge, we know each other well and it will be difficult for both of us". A day of rest then the hunt for the third Slam made in Sinner begins: "Sunday in tournaments is always a special day and it doesn't matter what the level of the tournament is, when you get to the final Sunday it's always a great feeling".