Sinner expresses confidence about future of Italian tennis

Sinner reached the quarter-finals in Dubai after defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 3-6 7-5.

Published : Mar 18, 2021 17:11 IST

Sinner last month became the youngest player to win two ATP titles since Novak Djokovic in 2006- AP
Sinner last month became the youngest player to win two ATP titles since Novak Djokovic in 2006- AP
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Sinner last month became the youngest player to win two ATP titles since Novak Djokovic in 2006- AP

Jannik Sinner said Italian tennis was in great shape and predicted a bright future for fellow 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti after the pair notched up wins at ATP 500 events this week.

"I'm excited for Italian tennis and I think everyone can do well in every tournament," Sinner told reporters in Dubai.

While Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini led Italy to the final of the team-based ATP Cup last month in Melbourne, Sinner, who won the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals, also made a name for himself as one of the brightest prospects on the circuit.

Sinner last month became the youngest player to win two ATP titles since Novak Djokovic in 2006 by claiming the Great Ocean Road Open after his win at the Sofia Open at the end of 2020.

On Wednesday, he took down Spain's former number nine Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 3-6 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals in Dubai.

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A day earlier, qualifier Musetti completed his first top-10 career win against Argentine Diego Schwartzman in Acapulco, Mexico, before defeating American Frances Tiafoe to reach the last eight.

"Musetti is a big, big talent. He can do everything with the ball already, so he's already physically strong. I think he's a great player ... He's serving big and going for shots.

"Everyone is different, has different styles, so I think that's very exciting," Sinner said.

The start of my season has been good: Musetti

For Musetti, the victories in Acapulco this week are his first Tour-level wins on hardcourts.

"The start of the season is really good," he said after his win against Schwartzman.

"It's not easy to rise because of the rankings now, it's still a little bit frozen, but I'm playing good ... I'm trying to reach them and break into the top 100, that's my goal."

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