DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 23, 2024

Filippo Volandri

Jannik Sinner

Team Italy

Press Conference

J. SINNER/A. de Minaur

6-3, 6-4

Team Italy - 2

Team Australia - 0

THE MODERATOR: We will start the press conference with Team Italy. First questions in English.

Q. Jannik, I just asked Alex what it's like to play you, and he said it's like a puzzle that's difficult to solve. What do you think of that? Would you like to play yourself in the way you're playing right now?

JANNIK SINNER: (Smiling.) That's a good question. I don't know.

Look, I think everyone has these certain players where I also have and then had in the past where you, you know, try to figure out how to play against them, what's the best way to do. You know, it's also we are in the end of the season, and we played throughout the whole year, you know, and in some moments, you know, this can get a little bit in your mind at times.

Today I felt like he was playing in a little bit, in a different way, so I had to be very careful in that. He was serving very, very well. You know, every match is different. It doesn't really matter if you see the score or not. It's just different.

You know, I felt much better today on court as the first day, for example, even if the score today was in a different way than the first day. But that was my feeling on the court, and, you know, I trying to get used to the pace of the court.

I think today was a very high-quality match from both of us. It was just one break in the first and break in the second, but if he holds serve at 4-All, it might be a tiebreak, and tiebreak, you never know what's happening. It was a very close match today.

Q. Would you like to play yourself?

JANNIK SINNER: I think I'm a very solid baseliner, which sometimes, you know, he uses the power, and I try to mix him some things.

I have achieved a lot this year, so, you know, I just try to take nothing as granted. If I want to play myself, maybe yes, because I know what I think, you know (smiling). This could help, but I don't know (smiling).

Q. Congrats. I want to ask you about tomorrow's game, because these days here in Spain, a lot of fans, the public, the press have felt that maybe a lot of us underestimate Netherlands' national team in the match against Spain in quarterfinals. Also yesterday against Germany. I want to ask you about your feelings for tomorrow's game against Netherlands and about what you think about the players. They have been playing so well these days.

JANNIK SINNER: It's going to be a tough encounter, tough tie. Finals, as I always say, it's a huge privilege to be part of.

Sundays, it's always a final, and I'm very happy to be here in this position. We never take things granted, as a team and as how we are. Especially in Davis Cup, you never know what can happen, as we saw with Spain and then loss yesterday with Germany.

So we are not even surprised, you know, because Davis Cup, it's everything can happen. We just try to do our best as we always do. We're going to make some choices and talk, you know, who is going to play, how we're going to behave tomorrow.

And that's it. It's a very unpredictable competition, so just happy to be in this position again, and let's see.

Q. Jannik, I wanted to ask about the atmosphere in there. Did it feel a little bit like maybe you were playing in Italy today? And then the other thing is just if you can think back to a year ago, what would you say in 2024 is the biggest way in which you have improved as a player?

JANNIK SINNER: I think as a player, even if it's not that consistent as a shot, but I would say the serve, because there are times where I struggle, you know, maybe from back of the court, and then I serve a good serve to then I have an easy shot. I felt like this was working quite a lot this year.

But everything, no, it's not only one part. Whenever you can take 1% on each thing, at end of the day, it's 7% or 8%, which going up from the physical aspect, mental aspect. Yeah, and I think the crowd has been amazing. Again, we are very lucky that the Italian fans, they are very passionate, they are very loud. Exactly this gives us something very, very positive, in a way, and especially when we struggle.

So it's nice to be part of this achievement again, because it's an achievement to play final in Davis Cup.

Q. Jannik, you had a 2024 sensational year. You won a lot. To win the Davis Cup for your country, will it be like the cherry on top of the cake?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, of course. As I said, last competition we have for the year. Tomorrow it's going to be the last official tournament day for all of us for this season.

So we are happy to be here. Obviously winning would mean so much to us, not only because the win but it means also that we defended our title.

But if we don't win, it's still, you know, an amazing achievement playing final again. We have shown that it was not lucky last year. You know, we are here because we are an amazing team. There's a huge staff around us that always wants the best for us.

We just try to enjoy tomorrow. It's going to be a very intense day, very tough day, but we look forward to it. Of course it would be the cherry of the cake.

Q. Just one last for Jannik. You might have heard that Andy Murray is going to be the new coach of Novak Djokovic. How do you reflect on that? Do you think he's the perfect -- he might give Novak Djokovic the most anti-Sinner weapon?

JANNIK SINNER: I don't know nothing about this. I have no idea, so I cannot answer you that in this moment. So I haven't thought about this. Sorry for that.