Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
https://www.ft.com/content/d103f9fb-f2dc-4721-b234-e0dd5ba5c2f3
The last time an Italian man won a Grand Slam tennis tournament, ABBA were in the charts, The Omen was in cinemas and Jimmy Carter was on the campaign trail. That 48-year barren period came to an end in January when Jannik Sinner lifted the Australian Open trophy, leaving vanquished finalist Daniil Medvedev in his wake. What was most impressive was the manner in which the 22-year-old from South Tyrol did it: not just the thundercrack topspin forehands and backhands that are his trademark, but the cool mental fortitude and unwavering confidence that underpinned them. Despite having trailed in the final by two sets to love, Sinner never looked like a man with defeat on his mind. “Being calm is, for me as a player, really important, because you can see things a little bit better and a little bit faster,” he tells me when we meet in the picturesque and tranquil surroundings of the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Standing 6ft 2in, he is more physically imposing in person than on screen, but his tangle of curly red hair is just as vibrant. “If you get frustrated, it’s like when you drive a car fast and you don’t see well what’s outside.”
