A message to the world. A message to tennis. A message to his fellow competitors. Jannik Sinner paid a huge tribute to Rafael Jódar Camacho following their quarter-final clash. The world number one gave the Spaniard a warm embrace before turning to the television camera and signing it in large letters, as if to avoid any confusion: WHAT A PLAYER, he wrote of the 19-year-old kid he had just beaten at Manolo Santana Stadium.
These words carry some weight. They come from the world number one. They come from a player who doesn’t hand out compliments lightly or get swept up in the emotion of the moment, and they come after having to dig deep to shake the Spaniard off. Sinner’s actions are the latest confirmation of something that’s been brewing over the past ten days in the Caja Magica. “A star is born”, said David Ferrer after watching Jódar compete in Madrid. On Wednesday, Jannik provided his own take on the same idea. First with a long embrace at the net, then with the message to the camera, and later, in the press conference room, with a much deeper reflection than a simple compliment.
“What he’s doing is incredible. I wish him nothing but the best”, Sinner said of Jódar. “He’s got everything it takes”. The Italian had already shown interest even before facing him on court. Jannik was seen watching his match against Alex de Minaur on the centre court. He admitted that he had watched the entire clash with Joao Fonseca, and explained that he likes to keep a close eye on young players because he knows they could become regular opponents in the future. This wasn’t mere curiosity. It was study. It was respect.
Sinner admits that Jódar made things uncomfortable for him. “He pushed me to the limit. He’s an incredible player”, he said, still on court. “I tried to be as prepared as possible because it was the first time I’d played against him. Next time, if we play again, he knows what to expect and I do as well”. The man from San Candido isn’t easily intimidated.
Sinner acknowledges that there were moments when he needed to rely on his competitive maturity to get through. “It was a high-quality match. I had a bit of luck in the second set, but also a bit of experience”, he added.
Amidst all the praise, however, Sinner wanted to send out a warning, a plea for calm around a player who, suddenly, has begun to hear his name uttered in the same sentence as some big names. “Don’t push him too much”, the Italian asked of the press. “Sometimes it gets into your head and it’s very difficult to get rid of it. He’s a really good kid, he’s got a great family behind him. His father seems very humble. He has a little bubble, and that’s very good for him”. It’s hard not to be excited by this kind of talent, but the Italian’s words are wise.
Perhaps that was Sinner’s most important message. He knows what he’s talking about; he’s been through it all himself: “As an athlete, you always have a lot of pressure. My advice is to try to keep that pressure as far away from the present as possible, although I know there will always be plenty of talk off the court”, he explained. His message for his opponent at the net immediately after the match was along those lines: “Keep working. Keep improving”. This is just the beginning, Sinner seemed to be saying.
Sinner, for his part, will now play in the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals for the first time, after overcoming a test that left him tired but satisfied. “I’m incredibly happy to be in the semi-finals here for the first time. It means a lot to me”, he declared.
Before he turned his thoughts to the next round, however, Sinner left behind an image that’s already part of the tournament. The world number one, the winner of the match, lent the spotlight to the man he had just defeated. WHAT A PLAYER . What a player, indeed. In capital letters, Jannik Sinner has added his own tribute to many others in Madrid for Rafael Jódar Camacho.
