L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS because it doesn't convey the truth. The less I engage with it, the better I feel." S I N N E R - M A N I A - D e s p i t e h i s l o w - p r o f i l e demeanor, Sinner-Mania is sweeping across Italy and beyond. Google data con- firms that Jannik saw the largest increase in search volume in 2023, becoming the most sought-after public figure on the popular web search engine. Eurosport, t h e s a t e l l i t e c h a n n e l t h a t broadcasted the Australian Open, announced that the final's approximately 2 mil- lion viewers set a new record for the broadcaster in Italy. Sinner's presence is increas- ingly felt in advertisements and commercial spots, indi- cating his clean, victorious image is well-recognized and synonymous with reliability. Even Italy's quintessential pop culture event, the San- r e m o M u s i c F e s t i v a l , sought him out, only to be turned down. "Sanremo is a beautiful and very important event," he said, "but I will be back at work, training, by the time the festival takes place." Awaiting his next match will be the Carota Boys, another aspect of Sinner- Mania. The movement began w i t h a n i d e a f r o m E n r i c o Ponsi, Francesco Gaboardi, Alberto Mondino, Lorenzo F e r r a t o , a n d G i a n l u c a Bertorello, a group of 30- something fans from Pied- mont who have supported Sinner from the start. Their inspiration came during the ATP tournament in Vienna in 2019 when Jannik, known for his red hair, snacked on a carrot instead of the tradi- t i o n a l b a n a n a d u r i n g a match break. This sparked the idea among the friends to don cumbersome carrot cos- tumes to their idol's match- es. Now, the group is enjoy- i n g i t s m o m e n t i n t h e s p o t l i g h t a n d h a s e v e n launched a line of merchan- dise that has sold out world- wide in recent weeks. The political world, too, has been captivated by the remarkable rise of the 'good b o y ' f r o m S e s t o P u s t e r i a . Italy's highest offices have recognized Sinner as a global I t a l i a n s y m b o l . U p o n h i s return to Italy after his tri- umph, the South Tyrolean champion was welcomed in Palazzo Chigi's Salone degli Arazzi by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who later s h a r e d h e r t h o u g h t s o n social media: "This is the Italy we love: able to believe in itself, face tough chal- lenges head-on, and win. Thank you, Jannik, for the e x a m p l e y o u ' v e s e t f o r s p o r t s e n t h u s i a s t s , o u r y o u t h , a n d a l l o f I t a l y . " L a t e r , t h e c h a m p i o n m e t with the Minister of For- eign Affairs and Inter- national Cooperation, A n t o n i o T a j a n i , a t t h e F a r n e s i n a , w h e r e h e w a s named Ambassador of Sport Diplomacy, officially making him a flag-bearer for Italy w o r l d w i d e . " I t ' s a f i t t i n g acknowledgment for some- one who upholds our coun- try's name with dedication and sacrifice," the minister r e m a r k e d . T h e f o l l o w i n g day, alongside the Davis Cup team and the president of the Italian Tennis Federa- tion, Angelo Binaghi, he had a n a u d i e n c e w i t h P r e s i - dent Sergio Mattarella, to whom a tennis racket was g i f t e d . A t t h e Q u i r i n a l e Palace, the Italian team was thanked by the highest office in the state: "Thank you not only for your victories but for what you demonstrated during those days: human values." This was followed by a lighter moment when Sinner, in a break from for- mality but in a gesture of his genuine character, placed a brotherly hand on Mattarel- la's shoulder, followed by t h e H e a d o f S t a t e ' s w i s e words: "I value Sinner's sim- plicity, but now everyone expects him to always tri- umph. It's crucial, however, t h a t t h e r e i s n ' t e x c e s s i v e pressure. What truly matters are commitment, loyalty, and sportsmanship." The season of remarkable achievements, marked by a runner-up finish at the ATP Finals in Turin and a Davis Cup victory with the Italian team, concluded with a spec- tacular performance at the A u s t r a l i a n O p e n . S i n n e r breezed past Botic van de Z a n d s c h u l p i n t h e f i r s t round (6-4; 7-5; 6-3) and c o n t i n u e d h i s f o r m i d a b l e play, decisively defeating Jesper de Jong in one hour and 45 minutes (6-2, 6-2, 6- 2), and then Sebastian Baez (6-0; 6-1; 6-3), with a com- manding victory in less than two hours. He continued his impressive run by overcom- ing Karen Khachanov, last year's semi-finalist, with an i m p r e s s i v e 6 - 4 ; 7 - 5 ; 6 - 3 ; then, for the first time, he reached the Australian Open quarterfinals — a feat previ- ously achieved by only Mat- teo Berrettini among Italians —by beating Andrey Rublev (6-4; 7-6; 6-3). The semifinal brought the most anticipated matchup against world number 1 and 10-time tournament champi- on, Novak Djokovic. Sinner's performance was outstand- ing, overpowering Djokovic ( 6 - 1 ; 6 - 2 ; 6 - 7 ; 6 - 3 ) a n d securing his place as the first Italian finalist at the Aus- tralian Open. The final act of the tournament was a dra- m a t i c a n d h a r d - f o u g h t comeback against one of his h i s t o r i c r i v a l s , D a n i l Medvedev. After being on the brink of defeat, Sinner emerged victorious, show- casing his coolness, clarity, strategy, and immense tal- ent. L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e , Sinner is far from satisfied a n d h a s c l e a r g o a l s . T h e Grand Slams are a priority: "The primary goal is to play my best at the Slams; the first one went well and will boost my confidence." As for the ATP ranking, he says, "Currently, I'm number 4, let's try to take it one step at a t i m e , b u t t h e a i m i s t o become number 1. The way t h e r e ? N o s e c r e t s : i t ' s a l l about hard work." He's also l o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o t h e Olympics: "A key moment for my growth. I'm curious t o e x p e r i e n c e t h e a t m o s - phere. It will be one of the m o s t i m p o r t a n t t o u r n a - ments, and I hope Italy wins as many medals as possible." Clearly, Sinner has no inten- tion of slowing down. Of his future, Sinner says: "Currently, I'm number 4, let's try to take it one step at a time, but the aim is to become number 1. The way there? No secrets: it's all about hard work" CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Jannik with the Australian Open trophy and, below, during one of the matches (Photos: Victor Velter/Shutterstock)

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