Sinner also wins in Rotterdam, now world no. 3. Premier Meloni: thank you champion

Three weeks ago a historic triumph, the Australian Slam , which returned to Italy a victory in the tennis majors that had been missing for 50 years. Now the tournament in Rotterdam, anAtp 500 that catapults Jannik Sinner into the future: which is already tomorrow, because the South Tyrolean, already certain to be on the podium of the world's best, becomes world no. 3 immediately.

His success in the final over Alex De Minaur in two sets (7-5 6-4), not without some pain, allowed Sinner to immediately overtake Daniil Medvedev in the rankings and thus climb where no one in Italy had ever gone before. A record-breaking Sinner, who extends his series of consecutive victories to 15, his 12th career title, resetting the wait for a Top 3 finish: he will be the first Italian to go so high since the computerised ranking has existed in men's tennis, the second ever after Nicola Pietrangeli, considered the third best player in the world in 1959 and 1960 by journalist Lance Tingay.

In the final in Rotterdam, despite a second serve that was not always effective and the difficulty in stemming the Australian's drive with the forehand, the Italian nevertheless closed the file in two sets with 78% points with the first and 39% with the second. "I'm proud of the way I played this week," Jannik Sinner said after the match, "Does the third position give me confidence? Certainly, an increased awareness that I have to share with my team.

On the match he reserved praise for his opponent: "Facing Alex is always difficult. I like playing doubles with him, he is a nice player and I think a lot of success will come, he is improving every week. With my team we did a great job a fortnight ago and also in this tournament. I am proud of how I played this week, we had some difficult moments but we are in the right direction. We are always trying to improve. Thanks to everyone who makes this extraordinary tournament possible. The crowd was wonderful, fair even when I played against the Dutch. I love playing this tournament, see you next year".

And from Rotterdam came words of love for the Italian tennis player: 'Four years ago you came here, you needed a wild card after winning the Next Gen ATP Finals. We are proud to have played a small part in this wonderful journey of yours. The only thing you haven't changed is the way you talk to children. You are a true champion,' the tribute to Sinner by Richard Krajicek, the former Wimbledon champion and now director of the Dutch tournament. It was not a one-sided match, because Sinner, although not conceding break points until the tenth game, nevertheless remained under pressure on his serves. De Minaur plays deep and fast and does not drop in rhythm. But the gap with the 2024 version of Sinner was all there: the Italian missed a first set point, a backhand error, and De Minaur saved a second at the end of one of the hardest exchanges of the set. However in 64' Sinner with an ace brought home the first set. In the second, De Minaur's break and the Italian's immediate counter-break, which then stretched to victory. Which is worth third place in the world, with a view to the summit.