Jannik Sinner has explained the secret to his success by saying “hard work always beats talent.” The quote from the Wimbledon champion encapsulates the type of player he is, while potentially aiming a dig at his rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he recently defeated in the final at SW19.
Sinner, 23, and Alcaraz, 22, are the two standard bearers for the post-‘Big Three’ era in tennis, respectively boasting four and five Grand Slam titles already. The pair battled it out in one of the greatest major finals ever last month at the French Open, where Alcaraz displayed both heart and otherworldly talent to fend off three Championship points and win at Roland-Garros from two sets behind. They met again on Wimbledon’s Centre Court earlier this month, where Sinner exacted revenge by winning 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4.
As the pair have become more dominant over the past two years, a perception has formed that Alcaraz is the more naturally gifted, given that he is physically stronger and boasts a wider selection of impressive shots in his arsenal. While Sinner does not possess the same flair the Spaniard operates with, it’s his disciplined and hard-working approach that has seen him improve immensely and develop a relentlessly consistent baseline game.
The Italian has now shed light on that while explaining how he achieved his Wimbledon victory, potentially taking a jibe at the easy-going, party-loving Alcaraz in the process. Sinner said in an interview: “I always say that hard work beats talent. And that’s what I try to do.
“I always go on a practice court with a purpose, and I believe that the mindset you start to build in practice sessions, when you struggle, when you have pain, when you at times don’t want to practice, but you still go and you still do everything possible to make it a good day. If you cannot do it in practice sessions, then you cannot do it in the real matches.”
The contrast between the pair is clear even with regards to their on-court personalities, with the Spaniard often firing up the crowd while Sinner is far colder and more reserved – something that played to Alcaraz’s advantage when he launched his remarkable comeback in Paris.
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Their two differing styles and Sinner’s comments were supported by former tennis star Mats Wilander recently, where he explained why the Italian is perhaps a better role model for aspiring tennis players. Speaking to L’Equipe, the Swede said: “I think his tennis is five or 10 years ahead of what I imagined the evolution of the game would be. A bit like when, in football, for the first time, there was quick one-touch passes: the speed of the game was turned upside down.
“He’s leading the way and will quickly serve as a role model, because not everyone can play tennis like Alcaraz. That requires extremely rare talent. On the other hand, everyone can try to play like Sinner, which doesn’t require exceptional talent in itself, but total dedication.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk