Jannik Sinner's 'amazing sportsmanship' praised by Barcelona Open doubles opponent Edouard Roger-Vasselin
Jannik Sinner's display of sportsmanship to give back a crucial point during the tiebreak to decide the outcome of the match was lauded by doubles opponent Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
Sinner enjoyed a strong start to his claycourt season, reaching the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Italian battled past Diego Schwartzman, Hubert Hurkacz and Lorenzo Musetti before falling to Holger Rune in a closely contested match.
The World No. 8 has since turned his focus towards the ATP 500 Barcelona Open, where he has teamed up with Alex de Minaur for some doubles action. The pair took on Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez in their opening match on Monday, April 18.
During a crucial point in the second set tiebreak, the Frenchman was called for a double touch by the chair umpire during a rally with Sinner. While the 39-year-old argued against the call, Sinner chose to graciously concede the point.
Roger-Vasselin took to social media to share his appreciation for the 21-year-old's "amazing sportsmanship."
"Amazing sportsmanship from @janniksin today who gave us the point at 5/3 in the tie break when the chair empire called my volley "double touch"," Roger-Vasselin tweeted.
🏼👏👏Amazing sportsmanship from @janniksin today who gave us the point at 5/3 in the tie break when the chair empire called my volley "double touch"
#fairplay 🙌🏼
@atptour @TennisTV https://t.co/dCrLg30l58
Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez defeated Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-6(3).
Jannik Sinner can beat Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or others, according to Lorenzo Musetti
Jannik Sinner secured a commanding straight-sets victory over compatriot Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. Following his loss, Musetti showered praise on the World No. 8 for his incredible prowess.
The Italian stated that Sinner has the potential to become the World No. 1 owing to his strong mentality and character.
"Jannik can finish No. 1, he has the mentality and the right character to be a leader in this sport. But I think he's already becoming one compared to last year, especially after all the changes," Musetti said.
Musetti further declared that if Sinner continues to play with his aggressive and attacking playstyle, he has the ability to defeat any player, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
“If he plays like this, he can beat anyone: Alcaraz , Djokovic, Nadal or whoever it is. He hurts with every shot, he can climb the rankings,” he added.
Jannik Sinner will be up against Diego Schwartzman in the opening match of his singles campaign at the Barcelona Open. Sinner leads Schwartzman 2-0 in the head-to-head and won their previous encounter at last week's Monte-Carlo Masters following the Argentine's mid-match retirement.