The world No. 2, following his victory in Vienna, also mentioned his girlfriend for the first time, who was there alongside his mother Siglinde: “Thanks to my family and my girlfriend”

Jannik Sinner hadn’t won a tour title since Beijing. On the indoor hard courts in Vienna, after his setback in Shanghai, the Italian was able to celebrate again, defeating Zverev in a thrilling final. His entire family was there with him: his father Hanspeter, his mother Siglinde… and his girlfriend Laila Hasanovic, who this time was right in his corner. And to them—as well as, of course, his team—Sinner dedicated the English portion of his post-victory speech, which was delivered almost entirely in German: “Thank you for your support and for all the work you do. Everyone has families and girlfriends; it’s not easy. But thank you also to my family, my girlfriend, and everyone back home—it means a lot to me.”

Jannik never fails to thank his entire team, but he had never explicitly mentioned his girlfriend before. Before his post-awards speech, however, he had analyzed the great match—which culminated in a comeback—speaking to the ATP microphones: “It was a tough start for me in this final; I had break points but fell behind early. But I tried to stay mentally focused, playing my best tennis when it mattered most. I tried to push, and I’m happy to have won another title. The most important thing is to try not to give up, to stay in the moment. The key was serving well, conserving energy on my serve. It was a great performance by both me and Zverev.”

cramps—  At the press conference, Jannik clarified the physical discomfort he experienced in the final games, when he was touching his left leg: “I think you always feel a little more pressure in a final. I had some cramps—very, very minor ones. What happened in Shanghai definitely taught me something. This time it wasn’t as intense; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible. I served pretty well, and that gave me the energy to play good tennis again on my return. Physically, I feel good. I moved well even at the end. So everything’s fine. I’m a little tired, as was Sascha at the end. That’s normal. It’s been a very intense and long week. I’m very, very happy.” And when a reporter asked him if he liked the fact that he could speak the South Tyrolean dialect in Vienna, Sinner replied: “I think it’s nice, but at the end of the day, I’m Italian—I feel Italian. The atmosphere I experience in Italy is very hard to top.”