US OPEN

September 8, 2024

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/T. Fritz

6-3, 6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Jannik, congratulations. Your thoughts on the championship match.

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, amazing. Amazing feeling. Obviously it was a tough match. I felt like I was playing some good tennis from the back of the court. And, yeah, so I'm happy about today's performance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations. It's quite unusual to win a first and a second Grand Slam in the same year. So which of the successes did you find harder? Was it harder to win in Melbourne or harder to win here in New York?

JANNIK SINNER: I believe that you can't really compare them, because it's different circumstances, different times of the year.

I believe that in Melbourne was a kind of a relief, you know, because in my mind, you know, it was like I was working for it, and you never know if you can win one Grand Slam or not, but when you win one, you know that you can do it potentially.

Here was difficult because also the pretournament circumstances weren't easy. I felt like that I have grown, you know, match by match and that my confidence level went higher and higher at some point.

It was different because I had more, maybe a bit more pressure this time than in Australia. I'm happy how I handled this one. Yeah, I'm just excited to have this trophy with me.

Q. You mentioned the pretournament circumstances. Was there a point during the past two weeks where you were really able to sort of leave that all behind and sort of move on from it in a way, and what allowed you to do that?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, what allowed me to do that was it was always the people who are close to me daily, people who know me already from when I was very young, and also my family and my team and everyone who supports me daily.

You know, I always try to stick together with them, especially when the moments are getting difficult and tough, because I know that they can help me in these moments.

It was and it's still a little bit in my mind. It's not that it's gone, but when I'm on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way, communication with the team, in practice courts. You know, at the end of the day we always try to improve as a player. That's why we practice for.

So yeah, it was not easy, that's for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I guess I've done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and that's it.

Q. I just wonder how you feel about the fact that the Grand Slams in 2024 all went to you and Carlitos, and maybe the fact that the Big 3 did not win a major this year for the first time in 22 years. Does it feel different to you now at these Grand Slams, given that?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, it is a bit different, for sure. I mean, it's something new, but it's also nice to see. Nice to see new champions. Nice to see new rivalries.

I always have players and I will always have players who are going to make me a better player, because there are going to be times where they beat me. Then you have to try to find a way how to win against certain players.

And also, today we saw that not everything was perfect. You know, I could have served slightly better, but, you know, this makes me realize that the work never stops. It's always a continue work which, in the end of the day, if you want to be a better player you always have to work, and you have to have these daily routines, accept difficult times on court.

Yeah, I feel it's good for the sport to have some new champions.

Q. You said on the court that it means so much because it hasn't been an easy period. Wonder how much, if you can put it into words, how much you felt there has been a cloud hanging over you during the tournament?

JANNIK SINNER: During the tournament? Well, it's difficult to describe everything, because me and my team and the people who are close to me, they know what I've been through in the last months. It was not only one week before the tournament. It was months.

You know, in this moment, as I said before, I always try to close myself with people and understand also what happened and then trying to accept it in a certain way.

When the work starts, I also try to enjoy. Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before, it was not the same as I used to be, so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong.

But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. Doesn't really matter how or what the result was. So this tournament, for sure, helped me a little bit.

Yeah, so now it's good to have small amount of time, a little bit off, and then to restart again for China.

Q. You dedicated this title to your aunt. Wondered if you wanted to share kind of the relationship that you have with her, what role she played in your life.

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, my aunt, she's a very important person, because when my parents, they were working every day and all day, so sometimes when I had to go to ski races, I went with her. She always helped me in summertime when my parents were working and I had some days off or free days. You know, when you are young, you don't go to practice every day. So I hang around a lot with her, and she's a very important person in my life.

This also, especially when I had this difficult time, I tried to see it in a different way, you know, sport, things can happen unfortunately, but, you know, the real life is something different. You know, we travel a lot, so it's difficult to spend time with the people who you really love, but if I would have more time, for sure I would spend more time with the people I really care.

Yeah, it was and is a really difficult moment also now, but, you know, just also have to accept that, yeah, not everything is perfect.

Q. Jannik, you spoke about some of the challenges before this tournament and how you have dealt with them. How do you think you'll look back on this year from the Australian Open to those challenges to winning the US Open?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, it was a great run, no, overall. For sure winning the first Grand Slam of the year gives you confidence, it gives you, you know, good feelings.

But in the other way, you always have to work, you have to -- it never stops. It's like you always keep going and keep going. Until now I didn't have so much time off to say, okay, you have done a great job (smiling).

Yeah, you know, it's big thanks also to my team, because we always try some new work, some new things out, you know, tactically, how can you play better against certain opponents, how do you work on such shots, whatever you feel better or not, I was a lot in the gym, because I knew physically I still had to improve and I still have to improve a lot.

No, this is all part of sacrifices you make for an eventual future. So we will keep working. I mean, in my mind, I know that I'm not perfect and I will never be perfect, but, you know, we always try to evolve in my game. Then after my career I can say, okay, I've done everything possible to be at 100%.

Q. What do you think this title means for the tennis world, given the pretournament circumstances and all the reactions that have been in the tennis world?

JANNIK SINNER: What do you mean?

Q. What do you think this title means, considering the pretournament events and all the reaction that we have seen in the tennis world?

JANNIK SINNER: I don't know. You have to ask all the other players. This, I don't know.

Well, that what I can say is that the general reaction of the players was quite positive, even when things came out. Then there have been, of course, some different voices, but this is in everything. This is not only in tennis. This is in other sports and different jobs also.

I mean, you can't really do anything about that. That's why you have, as I said before, the people close to you, these are the people who knows what was going on and what I and my team went through because it was not only me; it was the whole situation.

And, yeah, that's it. I just can talk from my side and from my team's perspective, and we are all very proud of this achievement.