Jannik Sinner Triumphs at US Open 2024 Amidst Doping Controversy, Dedicates Victory to Aunt
Jannik Sinner raised his arms in happiness and joyfully rejoiced with the Arthur Ashe Stadium audience after his match point as he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to win the US Open 2024.
In addition to responding to the latest doping scandal, Jannik Sinner gave his aunt the US Open trophy.
When the competition started, Sinner was also embroiled in a doping scandal. He escaped a ban despite testing positive for anabolic agents twice in March, it was found. In the meantime, his defense—that the tests were contaminated accidentally—was accepted by an impartial tribunal.
After starting his campaign, he ignored the commotion and became the first Italian man to win the US Open. Sinner addressed the doping scandal in a statement following his victory and dedicated his title to his aunt.
“I find great meaning in this title because the last phase of my career was not easy. My close friends and family members are my squad, and they help me every day,” he remarked.
“Although I enjoy playing tennis and put in a lot of training for tournaments like this, life happens off the court. This title is dedicated to my aunt, who is now experiencing health issues. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to be with her. I’m glad I can still enjoy a happy occasion with her,” he continued.
Sinner, who holds the top ranking in the world in singles right now, has won 16 singles championships on the ATP Tour, including two Grand Slam Championships (2024 Australian Open and 2024 US Open). In addition, he guided Italy to the Davis Cup championship in 2023 and placed second in the ATP Finals.
He advanced to his first major final at the Australian Open of 2024 by defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Then, after trailing two sets to none, he overcame Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set match to win his first-ever Grand Slam championship.
Taylor Fritz Falls Short in US Open Final, But Sparks Hope for American Men’s Tennis
The US Open finalist since Andy Roddick in 2006, 26-year-old Taylor Fritz, lost badly to 23-year-old Jannik Sinner on Sunday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, capping a week that started with enormous expectations and dreams in the tennis trenches of the United States.
The 26-year-old has made progress using recent victories. “I simply have a lot more faith that I can pull it off again.”
The contest was concluded in a quick two hours and fifty-one minutes. The final score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 demonstrated Sinner’s flawless play as well as Fritz’s progress over the past two weeks as he became more comfortable and navigated the uncharted territory of his maiden Grand Slam final. Fritz, sadly, does not play Grand Slam tennis in seven or more sets; instead, matches are best-of-five.
However, the result might have been the same with even more time. Sinner outperformed Fritz in almost every category, especially in break-point conversion, as Fritz only managed to convert two of every seven attempts, while Sinner made good on six of twelve. The most striking figure was that, while the winner scored 17 of 53 points for 32 percent, Fritz only won five of 43 points (12 percent) when he returned Sinner’s serve.
“At the moment, I’m not very happy with a lot of things that happened on the court, including my play and my shot selection. It stinks,” Fritz remarked at a tearful, post-match press conference when he frequently found himself straining to find the appropriate words in a monotone while lowering his gaze.
“I’m not saying that it necessarily would have made a difference,” he said after pausing. I don’t know, but it seems to me that American fans in particular have been desiring a men’s champion for a very long time. I’m not too happy with my performance. I think I almost let a lot of people down. I’m not sure why.
The setback was especially painful because Fritz exhaled a huge sigh of relief following his gut-wrenching, hard-fought semifinal victory over his friend and nemesis, Frances Tiafoe. That event was a classic, celebrity-filled New York event, with Fritz, the favorite, feeling uncomfortably under pressure.
Fritz believed he could play the final with confidence and a clear hand after the match was concluded. Though they had split their lone prior encounter, Fritz did not exactly undervalue Sinner, saying on Friday that “he hits the ball big, he’s like a very strong ball striker, but I feel like I always hit the ball really nicely off of his ball.”
Not this Sunday, please. Fritz was feeling loose, easy, and excited before the match. Fritz took the leisurely stroll to his chair on Ashe at the beginning, the noise of the throng crashing all around him, and he relaxed into the atmosphere.
“I relished the instant.” I’ve been dreaming about it my entire life,” he remarked. Although it almost made me cry, I was merely content and eager to savor the moment.
Fritz was relying on the relief that followed the semifinal to see him through. He resisted the realization that, despite playing shrewd, hard-nosed tennis, he hadn’t felt fully at the top of his game.
“I was performing well, but nothing exceptional,” he remarked. “I haven’t been serving or hitting the backhand as well as I would like to.” Fortunately, I could still hold and get away with it.
These days, you can’t even come close to being good enough versus Sinner with anything less than an elite player’s best effort. The Italian is a far better player than the gaudy rookie Fritz, who won the first and last majors of the year at Indian Wells in the spring of 2022. Fritz claims that Sinner’s serve has improved the most in his game. Sinner, who is known for his thunder, served with an average pace of 120 m.p.h. in the final.
Though Jessica Pegula’s loss to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday marked the tournament’s unsatisfactory conclusion for American tennis fans, the home country provided the runner-up in both singles finals—something no other major even remotely matched.
Fritz was ranked No. 12, and Pegula was ranked No. 6, so the final weekend disappointments also disguised the reality that both Americans punched far above their weight class. Based solely on performance, Fritz was predicted to finish in the fourth round or worse, whereas Pegula may have advanced to the quarterfinals at most.
Pegula and Fritz will probably feel proud of themselves and have newfound hope and motivation after taking a few days or weeks to reflect and reevaluate.
Even at the end of his press conference, Fritz was attempting to look on the bright side. He expressed his belief that he still has “a lot” of space for growth. He also correctly pointed out that he had progressively checked off milestones along the way, from obtaining an ATP ranking point to emerging victorious in a minor competition, winning the Masters, and now making it to the Grand Slam final. New victories have served as stepping stones for him.
He remarked, “I just feel a lot more confident in being able to do it again once I do it once.”
American tennis fans will be happy to hear that, as their appetite has been sated but their desire for a champion has been partly quenched at this event.
