Jan. 29 (UPI) — Pope Francis congratulated Italy and Jannik Sinner on Monday morning on winning their first title at the Australian Open. He also spoke about the values of tennis and the importance of “integrated growth.”
Sinner defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne on Sunday to win his first Grand Slam title. The fourth seed rebounded from a 0-2 set deficit to advance to his first major final, defeating his third-seeded opponent 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6- I won with 3.
“Today we have to congratulate Italians, because yesterday they won in Australia, right?” Pope Francis said in a speech at the Real Club de Tennis Barcelona in Vatican City. Ta. “Well then, congratulations to them too.”
Sinner’s victory made him the first Italian man or woman to win the Australian Open title. He also became the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam title since 1976, when Adriano Panatta won the French Open. Sinner and Panatta are the only Italian men to win a Grand Slam since the beginning of the Open era in 1968.
“It means a lot, it’s probably the most important thing,” Mr Sinner told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday when asked about the support from Italians. “The support I’ve gotten over the years has been incredible. … I feel like they’ve pushed me [so] I believe in myself and it’s great to have so much support. ”
Real Club de Tennis Barcelona is a private sports club in Barcelona that hosts professional tournaments such as the Barcelona Open. The club is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
Sinner, 22, earned $2.1 million in prize money for his first Grand Slam victory. He is the 4th ranked player on the ATP Tour, the highest ranking of his career.
The Italian native made his professional debut in 2018, but failed to advance beyond the fourth round in eight of his first nine Grand Slam matches. Sinner reached the quarterfinals of three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2022 and reached his first semifinal at Wimbledon in 2023.
“Tennis, in particular, is not a team sport, but rather a sport played by individuals or pairs, which presents an interesting aspect in our considerations,” Pope Francis said.
“Challenge between players seems to be primarily related to the desire to beat the opponent. … In tennis, as in life, you cannot always win, but if you follow the rules and play politely… Once we understand the rules, we learn that it is not a battle, but a dialogue that involves our efforts and allows us to improve.
“Think a little bit about sports not only as a battle, but also as a dialogue. A dialogue is established and, in the case of tennis, often an art form.”
Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2015 US Open and 2010 French Open, respectively, are the only Italian women to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era.
Sinner will miss next week’s Open13 Provence in Marseille, France, tournament organizers announced on Monday.
The 2024 French Open is the next Grand Slam tournament on the tennis schedule. The clay court major will be held in Paris from May 26th to June 9th.