Sinner on Davis Cup Finals success : “I think pressure is a privilege to have”

Jannik Sinner thrived in the pressure moments on Thursday, helping Italy come back from 1-0 down in the Davis Cup quarter-finals against the Netherlands. Sinner won singles and doubles rubbers.

Jannik Sinner sends Italy into the 2023 Davis Cup semi-finals Image Sport / Panoramic

Ricky Dimon

November 23, 2023

Less than a week removed from his runner-up performance at the Nitto ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner is right back in action.

Not slowing down a bit on the heels of his impressive Turin exploits, Sinner led Italy to a Davis Cup quarter-final victory over the Netherlands on Thursday afternoon in Malaga, Spain. With his nation trailing 1-0 following Matteo Arnaldi’s loss to Botic van de Zandschulp, the world No 4 kept the Italians alive by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(3), 6-1 in the second singles rubber and then teamed up with Lorenzo Sonego in the decisive doubles match to defeat Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhoff 6-3, 6-4.

It’s nice that the last event of the year is a team event. They can give you good energy.
Jannik Sinner

Afterward, Sinner talked about the unique pressure of the Davis competition — especially now that he has established himself as one of the best players in the world and is the favorite in almost any match he plays.

“I think pressure is a privilege to have,” the 22-year-old explained. “There are not so many players who have this privilege. Davis Cup pressure is different; you know that you have big responsibility to [play well], because you don’t have many chances.

“So it is a privilege. Obviously coming here with confidence, knowing the first day was not easy, today I started so-and-so the first set. But still I tried to keep going.

“As I said before here, it’s nice that the last event of the year is a team event. They can give you good energy. I think we are doing all the right things. We are a big family, and today we showed it. Everyone is giving 100 percent. That’s the least thing players can do, especially when they play for the country.”

Sinner credits attitude and energy

The Italians found themselves in a precarious position following Arnaldi’s setback against Van de Zandschulp. Even after Sinner defeated Griekspoor, leaving everything to chance in doubles is never a safe spot for any country.

Nonetheless, Italy got the job done — and Sinner credits his team’s mentality for the success.

“I think the most important thing was today the attitude, and I think we match each other really well with attitude,” he said, referring to Sonego. “We both have great energy, and on the court we are not complaining about [anything] and then trying to stay in the present moment, which today helped.

“It was a tough situation, not only for us but also for [the Netherlands]. We knew that they were also under pressure. But I think generally we made a good job. We took a lot of energy from our team, which is our fundamental.”