The world number one beats Norwegian Ruud in two sets and receives the trophy from president Mattarella and the former champion of the 70s
Excited in front of President Mattarella, in front of whom he demonstrated all his shyness Jannik Sinner has written another unforgettable page in world tennis winning the Rome Internationals fifty years later Adriano Panatta. The former champion himself, together with Mattarella, presented him with the trophy. An unstoppable march that of Sinner, who also wins in Rome after Paris (indoor), Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. The man of records, Sinner continually collects them. He won all the Masters 1000 as only Djokovic had managed to do (but seven years older. At the Foro Italico he concluded his journey beating the Norwegian Casper Ruud in two sets (6-4. 6-4) in a beautiful and difficult match in which, as usual, Sinner played at his best in the decisive moments of the match. Jannik was emotional at the start of the final, tense in the first games and then after loosening up and leading as only he can do, he became emotional again in front of president Mattarella with whom he then even joked, while Adriano Panatta, one step further away seemed visibly moved. Adriano won at the Foro Italico in 1976 against Guillermo Vilasit was another world and another tennis, it was played with wooden rackets at a different speed. There could be no better heir than Sinner to bring the trophy back to Italy, putting it in the hands of the number one in the world. Who in the end expressed all his happiness: “It was a phenomenal tournament, so many positive things. I arrived with little training, a very tough semi-final, today with Ruud I tried to play aggressively and I’m very happy with how I played. I’m also happy for Vavassori and Bolelli. It’s difficult to say what I feel now, it’s as if I were still in the game. Now I need to take a break and be with my family, but winning in Rome is very important for me because I’ve never won here.”
The match
Sinner didn’t start like in the previous matches, in fact in the first games he was in difficulty and Casper Ruud immediately took the lead 2-0 by breaking the South Tyrolean’s serve. But the blue didn’t give the Norwegian time to escape, he replied and equalized the score, making it 2-2. Ruud is not the same as last year, to whom he had only one game left in the quarter-finals. He is more aggressive, deeper, gives nothing away and Jannik is unable to break through. At 4-3 in favor of the Norwegian Sinner seems to be in difficultyhe snorts and saves himself on his serve a couple of times, but then turns the corner. It’s the decisive moment of the match and Sinner changes gear by scoring five consecutive games. With the first three ccloses the first set 6-4, then it flies away at 2-0 with Ruud starting to make mistakes. The Norwegian risks losing serve again but remains clinging to the match. At this point the match is in Jannik’s hands, he knows that by holding serve he will have won the tournament. But it’s not easy to do it. Sinner gives a break point to Ruud but manages to cancel it and then he goes to serve for the match at 5-4. The Rome public seems speechless with emotion, at the first match ball Sinner takes the tournament but even the last point leaves the Rome public in suspense because the ball is very close to the line. But it’s inside. Sinner won. The party can begin. And now Roland Garros where the winner will once again be rewarded by Adriano Panatta who won in Paris in 1976, scoring a splendid double after Rome. Jannik Sinner will try to imitate him.
