Magical, invincible, sensational: Jannik

Jannik Sinner, at the age of 22, won his first Grand Slam and wrote the history of Italian tennis.

"I am dead," sighed Jannik Sinner, looking exhausted towards the bench where Darren Hill, his coach and former mentor to tennis heroes such as Andre Agassi and Simona Halep, was standing. The Italian was at a critical point in the match, having lost the first two sets and tied the third at 4-4. Knowing full well that he was missing out on the chance to win the Australian Open and his first Grand Slam, Jannik seemed to be in a state of confusion.

But in sport, it is not how you start that counts, but how you finish. A few moments later, Sinner found the inner strength to turn his tired look into a firm, defiant and, above all, confident expression. Like a lion confident in his own abilities, he had earlier defeated the undisputed ruler of the tournament, Novak Djokovic, with a convincing game, earning the Serb's respect in a match the latter described as one of the worst of his career. Now Jannik faced Daniil Medvedev, who had pushed him to the limit in the first half of the match, but failed to deliver the decisive shot.

It was a final with an exceptional level of play on both sides, a flawless match with endless games and a mental strength that allowed Jannik to make a match that might have seemed lost his own. Medvedev mentioned his family, his wife and daughter, who were always present in his thoughts, but admitted that even this could not prevent him from surrendering to the 22-year-old's game.

Jannik Sinner's ever humble words of gratitude were directed not only to the ball boys, but above all to his team and family in Italy. Born in South Tyrol to German parents, Sinner's surname, red curls and pale, freckled skin made him look "not Italian enough" to some. Returning from Australia, however, Jannik brings his first Grand Slam and Australian Open record back to his homeland, the place where he spent his childhood on the ski slopes before swapping skis for tennis rackets. His face, usually serious and reserved, now lit up with a smile, a gesture he wanted to share more often, showing his determination to appreciate the joys of life and sport even in the most intense moments of competition.

At the end of the match, Sinner let himself fall to the ground, exhausted, on the concrete that silently bore witness to his extraordinary masterpiece. His first Grand Slam. Jannik turned that desperate 'I am dead' into a tennis milestone, the first page in the history of his promising career and an unforgettable chapter for Italian sport.

Magical, invincible, sensational, endless.

Jannik.