“I'm quitting tennis, it's a shame to lose to this guy Sinner, I think he's really bad”

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Time puts things in place and causes perspectives to change. Just ask Steve Johnsonwhose humility in telling what he thought when first confronted Jannik Sinner has left a truly funny anecdote symptomatic of the evolution of the Italian. They faced each other in Rome when the current number 1 was 17 years old, and the American had no idea what was to come.

There are stories that we may never know that can not only entertain us, but also illustrate how things can change quickly. Jannik Sinner was never a diamond in the rough who dominated the lower levels of Italian tennis and became a promise of the global sport. His rise was abrupt: he broke into the Challenger circuit with unprecedented force at the age of 17 and quickly made the transition to the best tournaments in the world. Many wondered where this boy came from, and some did Steve Johnsondidn't even think that he could become one of the best in the world.

– Sinner defeated Johnson in Rome at the age of 17 1-6, 6-1, 7-5, marking his second victory at ATP level

'Everything happened at the Tournament Rome 2019. I played well, ranked 59th in the world and felt good. I knew I would struggle to play my best tennis at the Foro Italico, but I was confident. I was brought in to play a local 17-year-old in the first round, and they scheduled us on Center Court. I felt some nerves, but as soon as the match started I knew I had to win. I faced a very slim boy, didn't see how he could hurt me and easily won the first set,” Johnson said.

It should be noted that Sinner had already played two matches at the ATP level previously, in the Budapest tournament, and was a finalist at the Ostrava Challenger. “I hadn't heard anything about him and I told myself it would be a shame to lose that match. I started badly in the second set, made mistakes, played terribly. We went to a third set; I had chances to win , but in the end it slipped away,” remembers Johnson, who had a 4-1 lead in the third set and even had match point at 5-3.

“When I got to the dressing room, I called my agent and told him to cancel my upcoming commitments I quit tennis. I couldn't accept the shame of losing to that child. I told him I had been beaten by a 17 year old who was terrible. Both my coach and my agent told me to give Jannik time because I believed he would be a great player, while I was convinced he would win a match in his life and it would be against me. The shame eats at me,” revealed the American, who was ranked 21st in the world.

– Johnson's coach and agent saw potential in Sinner and encouraged their player, suggesting that the Italian would become a great player within a few years

The truth is that this anecdote perfectly illustrates how much Jannik Sinner has been able to evolve. Just over a year after that match, he reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, beating Zverev and falling to Nadal. Like Alcaraz, he was always seen as a young man destined to change the history of tennis, with clear potential, but not everyone believed that Sinner would reach his current status, as his tennis was much less brilliant at that age. However, through hard work, the Italian reached the top.

“I'm very happy to see what a good talent scout I am,” assures Steve Johnson with a laugh. “The truth is that five years later I couldn't imagine being in the current position, but I'm happy that thanks to this match I can be a footnote in tennis history,” said the American player, who retired this season went and is happy with it. all tennis fans with one of those anecdotes that perfectly illustrate the emotions that can be experienced in this sport.

Steve Johnson tells the story of how he almost quit tennis because he lost a match against a very skinny young tennis player Jannik Sinner, on Center Court in Rome:
…”I started talking to my agent and a few other coaches and they said give it time pic.twitter.com/je76EvrUMl

(@Dariadda) November 26, 2024

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news: “I quit tennis, it's shameful to lose to this man Sinner, it seems terrible to me”