After his victory in Vienna, the world No. 2 mentions his partner for the first time, who was present alongside his mother Siglinde: “Thanks to my family and my girlfriend.”

Jannik Sinner was missing a title on the tour since Beijing. On the indoor hard courts of Vienna, after his defeat in Shanghai, the Italian was able to celebrate again, beating Zverev after a beautiful final. His whole family was there with him: his father Hanspeter, his mother Siglinde…and his girlfriend Laila Hasanovic, this time right in his corner. Sinner dedicated the English part of his post-victory speech, delivered almost entirely in German, to them, as well as to his team, of course: “Thank you for your support and for the work you do. Everyone has families and girlfriends, it’s not easy. But thanks also to my family, my girlfriend and also to those at 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-award speech, however, he analyzed the beautiful match, which culminated in a comeback, to the ATP microphones: “It was a difficult start for me in this final, I had break points but I started behind. However, I tried to stay mentally focused, playing my best tennis when it counted. 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 there. The key was to serve well and save energy on my serve. It was a great performance by both me and Zverev.”

cramps—  In the press conference, Jannik clarified the physical discomfort he experienced in the last few 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 small 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 in the return games. Physically, I feel good. I moved well at the end too. So everything is fine. I’m a little tired, as was Sascha at the end. That’s normal. It was a very intense and long week. I’m very, very happy.“ And when a reporter asks him if he likes the fact that he can speak in South Tyrolean dialect in Vienna, Sinner replies: ”I think it’s nice, but at the end of the day I’m Italian, I feel Italian. The atmosphere I have in Italy is very difficult to beat.”