The world number one wanted to see where he stood after his doping ban. It turns out: far above all his opponents.
Boris Becker marveled at the “flawless clay court tennis” on TV, while Casper Ruud on the other side of the net marveled at the “perfection” of his opponent Jannik Sinner. “He was just everywhere,” said the Norwegian after the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters in Rome, ”it’s like playing against a wall that constantly fires balls at you at 100 miles an hour.”
Sinner (23) had outclassed Ruud, who is, after all, the recent Masters champion in Madrid, a two-time French Open finalist and one of the best clay court players on the tour, 6-0, 6-1 – but he did not humiliate him. “To be honest, it doesn’t feel that bad,” said Ruud, adding that the match was even fun.
Fun? “You just look at the guy and say, ‘Wow. That’s next-level shit.’ Excuse my language. I don’t know what else to say, it was almost fun to witness,” Ruud said enthusiastically.
Sinner, who is playing his comeback tournament after a three-month doping ban and really just wanted to see where he stands, will once again showcase his extraordinary skills to the tennis fans at the Foro Italico on Friday (8:30 p.m.). The world number one will then face Tommy Paul (USA). In the second semi-final, Sinner’s compatriot Lorenzo Musetti will face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (3:30 p.m./both matches on Sky).
Sinner himself remained modest in the face of the praise. “I felt great on the court today, I think we all saw that,” he said, but also warned: “Everything can change quickly.” That didn’t sound very credible after Sinner had amazed the tennis world.
