so we make up for lost time»- Corriere.it

Easter Monday started with the new best ranking (n. 8 of the ATP)for the crowds on the seafront the Montecarlo Master 1000 has chosen King Djokovic as his dribbling partner, wherever he goes in that patch of asphalt that the Principality is followed by a swarm of fans. Jannik Sinner, who will make his clay debut tomorrow against Argentine doubles partner Diego Schwartzman, has changed status: the results (semifinal in Indian Wells and final in Miami in the US swing), the electric energy that surrounds him, the enthusiasm that precedes him tell it.

Does Jannik realize that he is the center of interest?
I see it, I feel it, it pleases me. Here in Montecarlo, then, the many Italian fans create a very positive atmosphere. I have always liked experiencing emotions together.

In Italy, football reigns with its pagan idols. Then there is Sinner, the Italian top 10.
Competing with the popularity of the ball is an impossible mission for us. the national sport: I don’t even get involved. Thanks to this generation of Azzurri – me, Berrettini, Musetti and the others – tennis is making its way. I feel that we are more present, there is more support but also more expectations. And I’m fine with it.

Constant growth, Jannik, but also the expectation is increasing and it’s getting feverish: when will the first victory in a Grand Slam arrive, how close or far do you feel?
The Grand Slam in the sights, of course. The goal of all the daily work with the team is that: successes arise from the ability to learn from mistakes. Let’s say I’m investing. I showed that I’m ready to go far. As? Physically I’m fine, I recover faster between points, I manage matches better.

Why is his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, who risks becoming the Djokovic-Nadal of the new Millennium, so special?
The first time we faced each other in the Alicante Challenger, it was 2019, Carlos won (the previous ones, therefore, are 4-3 and not tied, ed). After the game I approached: how old are you? How long have you been training every day? In short, I asked him a few things because it was clear that Alcaraz was a particular type. I can guarantee: on the pitch, he makes an impression. Every time I play with him I learn something: from Indian Wells to Miami, for example, I have introduced small things and details into my tennis, at the cost of making more mistakes. It worked. The route is this: put new petrol in the tank every match.

Growing up in a tennis that is already very fast, which advances with dizzying speed, is it a complicated challenge?
it is true that materials, evolving, have transformed tennis, pushing it further. Served and straight, and the exchange ends: some games are boring, you only see two that are needed, when the game is turned on the show is born. Maybe there are more injuries, but we also have more tools to recover than we used to. In short, I like it this way: I wouldn’t slow tennis down, absolutely not.

An abundant year with the new bi-coach team, Vagnozzi and Cahill.

Metabolized change

: I feel calmer on the pitch, we have found the right balance in a work group that doesn’t have a boss, we are all on an equal footing. Is there a problem? We face it together. If perhaps there is work to be done on technique, I feel improved on tactics. Playing cards every day, at a strange Scala 40 where you have to go down to 51 points or burraco, helps. I would talk about tennis for whole days but occasionally it is necessary to take a break.

Here, exactly. Has he cultivated the pleasure of reading, recently discovered? Did he come across any important books for his education?
Oh God I haven’t read that many, to be honest. What I finished faster, me reading slowly and not going on,
Ibrahimovic’s biography

. His story, his experience in the USA, his clashes with Materazzi, whom he sent to the hospital at one point … All interesting.

What are you reading now?
A book in German of questions and answers. Like: why are there holes in gruyère? Why are flamingos pink?.

Why the blue sky?
Well, I don’t know that! I am happy when they explain things to me.

Pap Hanspeter chef of the Sinner team is a nice and recent novelty.
remained 40 years in the kitchen, twenty at the Talschlusshtte refuge, in Val Fiscalina. He started touring with me from the USA. He likes it: cooking his life. And I feel happy: I left home when I was 14, we spent too little time together. So let’s try to catch up.