L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano J a n n i k S i n n e r t r i u m p h s a t t h e US Open, becom- ing the first Italian e v e r t o w i n t h e tournament. After securing his second Grand Slam title of 2024, following his victo- ry at the Australian Open, Sinner now sets his sights on f i n i s h i n g t h e y e a r a s t h e world's number one. We are w i t n e s s i n g a h i s t o r i c moment—never before has Italian tennis been this dominant. Sinner's success, marking his 16th career title, w i t h 6 c l a i m e d t h i s y e a r alone, is just the beginning. The Italian Davis Cup team, r e i g n i n g c h a m p i o n s , h a s also been delivering strong performances. Meanwhile, Jasmine Paolini reached t h e f i n a l s a t b o t h R o l a n d G a r r o s a n d W i m b l e d o n , before capturing Olympic g o l d a t t h e 2 0 2 4 P a r i s Games in doubles alongside Sara Errani. To top it off, Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the mixed doubles title at the US Open. A f u l l y d o m i n a t e d final – The final at Flushing Meadows saw Sinner face off against American Taylor Fritz, currently ranked 7th in the ATP standings. How- e v e r , a s i d e f r o m a f e w moments of resistance, the match was decisively one- sided. Sinner sealed the win in just 2 hours and 16 min- utes, delivering a command- ing 3-0 victory (6-3, 6-4, 7- 5), leaving no doubt about his superiority. Sinner took an early break in the first set, though Fritz managed to hold on, leveling the score at 2-2 after a double fault by the "Red Fox" at a crucial 3- 1 moment. But Fritz failed to raise his level, particularly on serve, with Sinner hold- ing break points in 4 of the 5 games in which he returned serve. The final score of 6-3 accurately reflected the gulf in performance between the two players in the opening set. The second set saw Fritz start aggressively, searching for momentum, but Sinner was unfazed, returning every shot with precision. By the tenth game, Sinner had Fritz pinned down and broke his serve at a pivotal moment, taking the set 6-4. With the backing of a fer- v e n t h o m e c r o w d , F r i t z opened the third set coura- geously, breaking serve at 3- 3 and even serving for the set at 5-4. However, it was at this critical juncture that Sinner displayed the class and composure that define him. Rallying with a 12-5 run, he closed out the third s e t 7 - 5 , s e c u r i n g t h e U S Open title. Seriousness and com- posure – In his post-final c o m m e n t s , S i n n e r m a i n - tained his usual composure and seriousness, despite the special significance of this victory, given the challeng- ing period that preceded it. After joining his team and supporters (including his g i r l f r i e n d , A n n a K a l i n - s k a y a ) f o r c e l e b r a t o r y embraces, Sinner expressed g e n u i n e a p p r e c i a t i o n f o r Fritz and the support of the c r o w d . H e a c k n o w l e d g e d how important this success w a s a f t e r " s o m e t o u g h months" and reiterated his l o v e f o r t e n n i s a n d h i s desire to continue working hard to meet future chal- lenges. Sinner also revealed how, during the most diffi- cult moments related to his positive doping test, he real- ized the paramount impor- tance of the "mental side" of his sport. He emphasized his gratitude to his "team and the people who stood by me," for helping shield him from criticism and excessive pressure. The most touching m o m e n t , h o w e v e r , c a m e when Sinner dedicated his triumph to his aunt, saying, "She's not doing well. I'm not sure how much longer she'll be with us, so it's won- derful to share these special moments with her, as she's a very important person to m e . I w a n t t o w i s h g o o d health to everyone." A y e a r o f l i g h t a n d shadows – From the per- spective of results and game development, Sinner's sea- son has been nothing short of extraordinary. However, a l o n g s i d e h i s b r i l l i a n t records and victories, there have been shadows cast by his positive test for Closte- bol (an anabolic steroid) a n d t h e e n s u i n g l e g a l p r o c e s s , w h i c h l e d t o h i s r a p i d a c q u i t t a l ( t h o u g h global and Italian anti-dop- i n g a g e n c i e s , W A D A a n d NADO, may yet appeal the d e c i s i o n a n d r e o p e n t h e c a s e ) . H e r e a r e t h e k e y details: on April 4, the Inter- national Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) informed Sin- ner of the results from a test conducted on March 10 at Indian Wells, revealing trace amounts of Clostebol in his system. Despite the minimal quantity, Sinner was provi- sionally suspended. The ath- lete immediately responded, filing an urgent appeal on April 4 to Sport Resolutions, a private body overseeing d o p i n g c a s e s i n s p o r t s , requesting that his suspen- sion be lifted. The laboratory analyses and evidence presented by Sinner and the ITIA con- vinced the tribunal to annul the suspension. On April 17, the ITIA presented Sinner with the results of a second test conducted on March 18, a g a i n r e v e a l i n g t r a c e a m o u n t s o f C l o s t e b o l , t h o u g h i n e v e n s m a l l e r quantities. Sinner was sus- pended a second time, and once again he appealed. The tribunal found his defense satisfactory and lifted the suspension. On May 30, the ITIA formally charged Sin- ner with violating anti-dop- ing regulations due to the p r e s e n c e o f C l o s t e b o l i n both tests. Sinner admitted t o t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e banned substance but insist- ed he bore no fault or negli- gence. At an August 15 hearing before an independent tri- bunal appointed by Sport Resolutions, three special- i s t s — t w o o f w h o m w e r e u n a w a r e o f t h e a t h l e t e ' s identity—reviewed Sinner's defense and found his expla- nation plausible, given the m i n i m a l a m o u n t s o f t h e substance detected, which w e r e i n s u f f i c i e n t t o a l t e r performance. A f t e r t e n m e e t i n g s between Sinner's team and the ITIA, the latter found Sinner's version of events credible. The account that convinced the judges was t h a t t h e C l o s t e b o l l i k e l y e n t e r e d S i n n e r ' s s y s t e m during a massage, after his athletic trainer used a medi- cinal product to treat a fin- ger injury. Following this incident, Sinner decided to p a r t w a y s w i t h b o t h h i s physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, and his athletic train- e r , U m b e r t o F e r r a r a . Despite the ongoing debates and controversy, fans hope t h a t t h e a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e handled the situation cor- rectly. With his talent and humility, Sinner has earned a place in the hearts of ten- nis fans worldwide, and he is not just an Italian icon, b u t a g l o b a l a s s e t t o t h e sport. STEFANO CARNEVALI LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Another historic chapter for Italian tennis: Sinner crowned king of the US Open Jannik Sinner has won two Slam titles this year, the Australian Open and the US Open (Photo: Victor Velter/Shutterstock)

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