Jannik Sinner capped off a wonderful 2023 season full of new highs, big matches and jaw-dropping shots. It also included one hilarious goof-up when the Italian did not realise a match was completed. He presumably forgot he had won the best-of-three clash and had to be reminded by the chair umpire.
Sinner had a watershed year, securing his first ATP 1000 title as well as the Davis Cup. He also finished second in the ATP Finals. He ended the year as World No.4 and dominated the field at the ATP Awards. Before he lifted his maiden ATP Masters title at the Canadian Open, he amusingly failed to realise that he had won a match at the Rome Masters.
Seeded eighth, Sinner received a bye into the second round, where he beat Thanasi Kokkinakis. Next, he faced Lucky Loser Alexander Shevchenko in the third round of the 2023 Rome Masters. He won the first set, but the Russian bounced back to bag the second in the tiebreak. Sinner dominated the decider and won the tie 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2.
However, Sinner turned around after winning the final point without any reaction. He began walking to get a towel as one does between changeovers, even as the crowd stood on their feet to applaud the local lad. He had seemingly forgotten it was a best-of-three and not a best-of-five match.
Sinner did not come up to the net to shake Shevchenko’s hand. He only realised he had won the match after he heard the chair umpire announce his name. He rushed back to meet his opponent, sporting a sheepish smile. The on-air commentator remarked that he was so focused that he wanted to play more tennis.
Jannik Sinner dominates the ATP Awards with multiple wins
Jannik Sinner had a breakout season, making big strides, especially in the second half of the season. He reached at least the semi-finals in each of the first three ATP 1000 events of the year. He exited the Rome Masters in the fourth round but followed it up with a semi-final finish at Wimbledon and the title at the Canadian Open. The result in London remains his best Grand Slam finish. He reached the final of the ATP Finals and led Italy to a historic Davis Cup triumph.
His immense success is reflected in the year-end ATP Awards. He won the Fans’ Favorite award (singles), a fan-voted honor given to the most popular player in the top 25. Sinner’s popularity was evident when he was cheered on by 80,000+ people at the iconic San Siro stadium in Milan. Formula 1 also onboarded him as a Friend of F1 to increase fan engagement.
Sinner jumped 11 places to conclude the season as World No.4. In addition to his maiden ATP Masters trophy, he also lifted two ATP 500 and one ATP 250 titles. His numbers against elite players improved significantly as he won six consecutive matches against top-5 ranked players (The Tennis Letter). He achieved a rare double over Novak Djokovic, defeating the World No.1 twice in two weeks. For taking his game to the next level, he was conferred the Most Improved Player of the Year laurel.
In addition to his two awards, his achievements also saw his coaches being recognised. Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi were jointly declared the Coach of the Year winners.
