Jannik Sinner has been hailed as an inspiration for AC Milan after defeating Novak Djokovic and helping Italy win the Davis Cup. The world No 4 beat the Serb twice in one day to book his nation’s spot in the final. He then won the rubber that secured Italy their first Davis Cup trophy in 47 years. AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli now wants to see his team draw on Sinner’s achievements in their Champions League campaign.
Sinner was the MVP for Italy during last week’s Davis Cup. He kept his nation in the competition on two occasions after they lost the opening singles rubber in their quarter-final against the Netherlands and their semi-final against Serbia. The 22-year-old won all five of his matches during the contest – three in singles and two in doubles.
The highlight came when he saved three match points to beat Djokovic in the second singles rubber against Serbia before partnering with Lorenzo Sonego to defeat the world No 1 and Miomir Kecmanovic in doubles. A day later, Sinner put on a masterclass as he beat Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-0 to clinch the victory for Italy after Matteo Arnaldi won the first singles match of the final.
And the Italian’s triumph is being seen as motivation for AC Milan as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage. “We have to have Sinner’s mentality and drive,” Pioli said ahead of the game.
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“He’s an inspirational figure due to his determination, his talent, his quality, his mentality and his desire to win every single point.” As Sinner is an avid AC Milan supporter, Pioli is also hoping to see the 10-time title winner in the stadium when they take on Dortmund on Tuesday night.
He added: “If Jannik attends, we’ll be happy. In the meantime, I’d like to congratulate him, the Italy Davis Cup team and the captain, (Filippo) Volandri.” Sinner’s contribution to the Davis Cup team hasn’t gone unnoticed by his own captain either.
Speaking after Italy won the trophy for the first time since 1976, Volandri said: “Jannik gave us a lot of things. We don’t have enough time to explain how many things he gave us, but all the guys here and the guys that are not here right now gave us a lot of things. That’s why we manage, that’s why we really won this trophy.”
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It marked a triumphant end to what was already a successful season for Sinner. The 22-year-old reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon in the summer before lifting his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto. He also picked up three more trophies in Montpellier, Beijing and Vienna, and reached a career-high ranking of No 4 in the world.
Sinner’s crucial singles victory against Djokovic at the Davis Cup wasn’t his first win over the world No 1, as they faced off three times in the space of 11 days. The Italian got his first win over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the group stage of the ATP Finals en route to a rematch in the final, where Djokovic got his revenge. But it was Sinner who had the last laugh at the Davis Cup, with his heroics now being earmarked by his favourite football team.
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