As recently as Wimbledon last year, six months ago, Jannik Sinner was simply not ready. As the Italian reached his first grand slam semi-final and sized up the challenge of facing Novak Djokovic, he was unable to find his best form under the significant pressure. One of the most memorable aspects of his three-set defeat were the groans of the Centre Court crowd as Sinner continually fired errors in the third-set tie-break.
Even for the special, precocious players who seem to quickly rise to the top, success is a long process. For Sinner his growth has been clear and easy to follow: he reconfigured his team, hiring Simone Vagnozzi and the famed Australian coach, Darren Cahill. He changed his service motion and began to embrace the biggest moments instead of cowering from them. He has endured numerous tough defeats, but he handled his difficulties with perspective and maturity. It always seemed like he was on the path towards becoming a grand slam champion.
