More yummy than pasta and pizza, Jannik Sinner is the Italian flavour as Wimbledon champion!

Treat tragedy and triumph with equal calm. If that be a lesson, learn it from Jannik Sinner. Gutted at the Roland Garros when he lost the final three weeks ago to Carlos Alcaraz for the French Open title, Jannik needed to overcome all that. Forget the ‘sins’ of his past, where he has been riled and ridiculed, even portrayed as someone who could ‘fix’ an outright deal with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).  

For the Italian, now much more famous than their pasta and pizza, to smoke out Carlos Alcaraz in four sets and win the Gentleman Singles title at The Championships defines him as the new champion. In Paris, there was grief for Sinner, he had lost and underwent a whirlpool of emotions. That he was not sucked into the vortex of negativity and continued to maintain focus, prepare for the challenges ahead, defines Jannik Sinner.

If one has been reading the buzz on social media, which includes former Grand Slam champions and  legend coaches, Jannik Sinner has been described as someone who is super fit and super smart. And yet, doubts persisted, if the Italian could tame potent two-time Wimbledon champion Alcaraz on grass. Ah, there you go. Like the old romantic Rolls Royce or the more modern Ferrari sports model cars which can zip on the highways at speeds which will suffice for a Dreamliner to nose into the sky from the tarmac below on the runway, Sinner is slick.

He has many gears, just that when he hits the overdrive button, he looks unstoppable. So much pressure, so much load for the underdog tag, Sinner swallowed it all. His appetite is voracious and he is, indeed the modern-day Alpha Male in tennis who can conquer any surface and opponent. Well, smiling Alcaraz also realised, attempting a three-in-a-row like earlier legends is not easy.

And for those who will still say grass offers that unique advantage to players who have skills suited for it, look at Jannik Sinner. At 23, he stands tall at six feet and two inches. But then, when you look at the red-head, he is not menacing. He does not have the ripping muscles like Rambo nor does he look like one who is pumping iron in the gym daily to show bulges or six-packs. Yes, he trains hard and systematically, stays calm, and does not let success affect him.

If there is one aspect, even more than his skills and rich tapestry of tennis he has produced in the last fortnight to emerge hero at the All England Club, it is his manners and being affable. There is no tennis player who has faced more scrutiny than Sinner, for the doping saga and how he made drug ‘Clostebol’ famous. That Sinner emerged so big, and could actually get a deal done with WADA for being out of tennis for a few months was also well-timed. To go out just after the Australian Open and return before the start of the clay season, Sinner did come in for flak. It is here, in the criticism which Sinner has faced, he looks strong, robust. The strength trainers in tennis are not just those who look after the physical aspect. For the modern-day athlete, across every sport, being sharp mentally, lends a cutting edge. Sinner gets to the ball faster than most other tennis players. Yet, not, many have not been able to totally break down and analyse how and where he derives his mental strength from. In the good old days, people talked of killer instinct, peaking, and more. Well, Sinner exceeds in so many areas, maybe the critics needs to examine what area of his game can be attacked to expose the chinks. Mentally, he is just 10/10.

On Sunday, when Jannik Sinner went a set down, it may have appeared a familiar script. Well, Carlos Alcaraz would have also realised he was taking on none less than a rock star ready to roll. If fans seated inside the Centre Court at Wimbledon, the biggest stage, were craving for a five-set duel, Sinner did not let it happen. Physically, he would not have had a problem. But then, why try and complicate matters!

As Sinner said, winning Wimbledon is most special. “This is the part that I’m proudest of because it really has not been easy. I always tried to be honest with myself and had the self-talk too, and you know, what if, what if? I always tried to accept it in a way,” said Sinner. These quotes explain, how Sinner dealt with the scenario.

And there was more proof of his battles conquered. “It has been very emotional, no even if I don’t cry. It feels emotional because only me and the people who are close to me know exactly what we have been through on and off the court, and it has been everything except easy,” added Jannik Sinner. He has said it all. Period. The champion from Italy needs to be feared. The win at Big W needs to be celebrated and Sinner will be even more dangerous at the US Open. After all, he has now decoded and destructed Carlos Alcaraz on grass.