Jannik Sinner has long been an underachiever when pitted against higher-ranked players like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev as the head-to-head would suggest. Moreso against Medvedev, with whom he has lost six straight times, without a single win to show for it. So, it was no surprise that Sinner wasn’t the favorite going into the finals of the China Open, which he eventually won.
But, it was the post-match felicitation ceremony that caught the eye of the viewers, where there were a few hilarious moments. The moment came when Medvedev was seen snatching a doll from the champion. Fans took it as Medvedev trying to grab at the doll that was given to the champion. They took to social media to say that he was trying to do so to present it to his daughter, Alisa.
Daniil Medvedev on taking the toy from Jannik Sinner’s trophy:
“It was mine. The thing is that they gave us both a toy, & he put his straight away in his trophy, in the cup. And me, I didn’t want to be with a toy on the pictures because I knew that it’s a great picture. So I put… pic.twitter.com/gDYkdCn1oz
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 6, 2023
But, to their dismay, they would have to take their words back. Daniil Medvedev has clarified that the toy which he took from Sinner belonged to himself. He added, “The thing is that they gave us both a toy, & he put his straight away in his trophy, in the cup…” He continued that, as he didn’t want to spoil the picture by posing with the toy, he put his in the cup of Sinner, only to take it back later.
Daniil confessed he was a little bit surprised and that he didn’t know at that time that it would stir up so much of a frenzy. He further went on to state that the images and the videos that were shared concerning this incident were quite hilarious, choosing to see the funny side of it. But, he asserted that it was his toy which he tried to take back and didn’t mean to “steal” that of the Champion.
Jannik Sinner ends his losing streak against Daniil Medvedev
When Jannik Sinner was asked whether what Daniil said was true, he affirmed that it was indeed his toy and he put it in the trophy because of the picture. He clarified that those expressions were meant for a conversation that they had concerning their travel and not intended for taking the toy back.
Jannik Sinner after finally beating Daniil Medvedev:
“First of all Daniil, thanks for letting me win 1 match.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z91jQzNmBy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 4, 2023
Thus, we can very well see that Jannik is a pretty cool guy who is quite a natural at amicably dealing with situations. But, the way he went about his business in the match was nothing but amicable. He was at the point and showed great intent from the word go, albeit from the baseline or at the net. The urgency to not let the streak become 7-0, was very evident.
The Italian always possessed a big serve, but he tended to lag by the technical aspect of his game. Probably that was “the change” Sinner was advocating in the pre-match interview. Throughout the match, his technical prowess was solid, attracting widespread accolades from fans, who could even foresee a Grand Slam for him in the coming year.
Now, people are starting to put the Italian in the same league as Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Medvedev. Having propelled himself to a career-high ATP ranking of world number 4, it is time for Sinner to step up to bigger challenges and prove his mettle. He definitely has the game to do so and should he maintain the consistency, he definitely shouldn’t flatter to deceive.
