Jannik Sinner 'food poisoning' jibe may be only hope for Italy's Davis Cup rivals
Yesterday at 04:20 PM
Jannik Sinner turned on the power once again as he fired Italy back into the Davis Cup finals – and now the defending champions are eying up a glorious second successive triumph.
Sinner beat Alex de Minaur in sparkling fashion to book Italy’s place in the Davis Cup final, with the win for the world No 1 coming after Matteo Berrettini had come from behind to battle past Thanasi Kokkinakis in a three-set thriller.
Italy’s strength in depth and the sensational form of the unstoppable winner make them an irresistible force heading into Sunday’s final against the Netherlands.
"It means a lot," said Sinner. "It was a tough encounter, playing Alex. We know each other quite well now, so I have to be very careful every time.
"Obviously it helped a lot that Matteo won the singles today. He played amazing tennis, it was very high quality.
"Hopefully this can give us some confidence for tomorrow. It is going to be a very difficult and tough day for us and also for the Netherlands.
"It's nice to be part of this again, because it's an achievement to play the final in Davis Cup.
"Tomorrow is going to be the last official tournament day for all of us this season. Winning would mean so much to us, not only because the win but it means also that we defended our title."
Berrettini also saluted Italy’s win as he added: "Today I think I played one of my best matches.
"I should have won the first set. Thanasi played really good. I know that I put my heart on court today, and I played really well."
Now Italy faces a repeat of last season’s quarter-final against the Netherlands in Sunday’s final, with the Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis in a jovial mood as he was asked how anyone can stop the rampant Sinner.
“We’re playing so well and and we are getting confidence from these wins,” said six-time Grand Slam doubles winner Haarhuis after his side’s semi-final win against Germany on Friday.
"Italy as defending champs with Sinner, I think we’re going to have to poison some of the food! We gotta come out with big balls on Sunday."
Haarhuis spoke to Tennis365 earlier this year as he looked back on his side’s clash with Italy last year in the Davis Cup Finals and he admitted Siner was close to being unstoppable.
Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 as he prepared to host coaching clinics at the Verdura Resort in Sicily, six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Haarhuis admitted the presence of Sinner in Malaga last November was a hammer blow to his Netherlands team as they lost in the quarter-finals against Italy.
“We played Italy in the Davis Cup Finals last year and the minute I saw Sinner landing in Malaga, I knew this was not good for us,” recalled Haarhuis, speaking exclusively to Tennis365.
“When you play a long season and you have a big run at the ATP Finals, you think as a captain of the opposition team, maybe he won’t turn up. Just stay at home man! Get ready for next year.
“To get to the quarter-finals was great for us because we are not a powerhouse tennis nation and the plan was to win one of the singles matches and then try to win the doubles.
“The trouble was, Sinner was just so on fire. He brought Lorenzo Sonego to such a level in the doubles that they were hard to beat.
“We knew that Sonego would be under pressure. If Italy lost, no one would blame Sinner and it would all be down to Sonego, but he just played at an unbelievable level and stayed at that level as he was trying to keep up with Sinner. It was an amazing performance from both of them.”
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Haarhuis went on to suggest Sinner’s temperament is as impressive as his talents, after a year when he proved himself to be the best player in men’s tennis.
"For an Italian, Sinner has that coolness and does not look like he is in a theatre playing a role," added Haarhuis.
"You look at other Italian players like Fabio Fognini and he was always quite dramatic. This was great because you could get the popcorn and settle in for the show.
"We have also seen that with other Italian players down the years. They tend to be quite excitable on court traditionally, but Sinner is different.
"What Sinner has got is a more German persona. He just shows up, goes about his business and he has it all.
"His athleticism, his shot-making and everything about his game is so wonderful to watch.
"I love how humble he is, how nice he is to everybody, how he says hello to everyone and makes them feel comfortable. He is just amazing for our sport."
Sinner could be the big obstacle blocking the Netherlands from winning their first Davis Cup Final on Sunday, but first Italy need to get past Italy in Saturday’s semi-finals.
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