This was a weekend when Jannik Sinner’s steel nerves held a nation in thrall. People who had never previously cared for tennis were glued to their screens as the 22-year-old recovered from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open, becoming the first Italian man to win a grand slam title in 48 years.
Even before the final, he had taken over the national discourse. As Juventus prepared to face Empoli on Saturday, Massimiliano Allegri was asked whether his team or Internazionale were the Sinner of Italian football. “We are a younger squad, so we must be Sinner and they must be [Novak] Djokovic,” he replied, casting the Nerazzurri as the once all-conquering but now defeated Australian Open semi-finalist. “But I don’t know, they might take that badly. They’re very touchy.”
