Why Sinner's triumph is an ode to tennis

Sunday's was a festive day for the whole of sporting Italy, which was literally in ecstasy over Jannik Sinner's feat. Having dispelled the immense joy of a victory that our tennis had been waiting for half a century, it is perhaps useful to also draw some small lessons from the extraordinary adventure of the South Tyrolean champion.

Let's start from the end, from that fantastic forehand down the line landed a few centimetres from the crossroads with which Sinner scored the championship point. Let's watch the film of his jubilation again: he throws himself to the ground for a moment, then gets up and immediately runs to shake hands with his opponent Daniil Medvedev, who in turn congratulates the Italian on his victory. Smiles and fair play, arms in the air for a moment, no boisterous exultation, no rowing in the stands or belligerent shouting. Composure and respect for the opponent: this is what tennis teaches, and perhaps it can be useful in an era of keyboard lions and belligerent proclamations via social media.

The next step is the embrace with his team, those who work with him seven days a week, on and off the field. The message is clear: victory is as much mine as it is yours. A hug of a handful of seconds, brief but very intense.

A few more minutes and the awards ceremony begins with speeches by the two contenders: Medveved and Sinner begin by congratulating their rival and wishing him the best for the rest of the season. Formal script all you want, but it's nice to hear certain words instead of the invective or complaints of certain post-match statements so common in other more popular sports.

At one point in his investiture speech, Sinner launched into a eulogy to his family, who had the merit of leaving him free to decide his future, even though this meant he had to leave Sesto in Pusteria when he was only 14 years old. 'I wish everyone to have a family like mine,' he added. Music to the ears. How many fathers and mothers try to steer their children into dead-end streets just because of their frustrated ambitions or desires for revenge. Instead, he was free to leave the icy peaks of Val Pusteria for the mild shores of Bordighera, where he began his extraordinary journey of human and professional growth. Family that - incidentally - was not present in the stands in Melbourne. In the mountains it is high season, there is a lot of work to be done. No matter, Sinner knows he can count on them even thousands of kilometres away. "When I hear from my parents, they always tell me: the important thing is that you are OK."