Think of the pettiest, crankiest, narkiest French waiter, sneering while he speaks, rolling his narrow eyes, sucking his wine-stained teeth, refusing to listen to your side of the argument, hurrying you along, talking over the top of you, wagging his finger, sneering, jeering and making it clear you’re not quite his cup of Mariage Frères tea.
Think of the atmosphere created by putting 15,225 of these impatient French waiters around a tennis court.
That’ll give you an idea of the vibe on Court Philippe-Chatrier when Parisians decide a foreign player is on le nose.
They hoot like owls and whine like police sirens, and while Jannik Sinner is receiving a hero’s welcome at this week’s Rome Masters, I doubt he’ll be so warmly greeted at the French Open. They don’t need much encouragement to treat a foreigner like a contemptible scoundrel.
Sinner beat Argentinian plodder Mariano Navone 6-3 6-4 on Sunday at one of the great venues, the Foro Italico, a century-old masterpiece of sporting architecture.
In his first match since winning the Australian Open, and fresh from his three-month suspension for doping, Sinner was introduced to his audience as “Il Maestro” – isn’t that Pavarotti? – and proved himself to still be a beautiful athlete, waving his racquet so elegantly he might tuck it under his chin and play violin.
Convenient comeback
Of course, his comeback from a supposedly serious ban was comically convenient, virtually on his backyard court.
Italy’s first World No.1 has received support from many of his peers. He’s been brushed by a few he thought were mates. He regards criticism from Nick Kyrgios as irrelevant.
With his name plastered on a million Rome billboards, while he stars in a billion television commercials, he couldn’t be more popular if he’d just been named Pope up the road at Vatican City.
Two fans wearing orange wigs had T-shirts saying, “Lord forgive me, the Sinner is back.”
He peeled off his 22nd straight win since September.
“Look, the whole match, even when it seems quite comfortable, it’s a rollercoaster, no?” Sinner said. “Especially inside, we feel that. I would say especially beginning a match again, having the nerves of serving for the first time, trying to move in the best possible way you can, it’s different.
“I was surprised, myself, with how things can change so quickly. I tried to give everything I have. I think that’s the only thing I can do, that’s the only thing I can control right now.
“But the sensation has been quite good, to be honest. It can be, of course, some ups and downs. That’s normal. Trying to accept that and trying to work again … now I have some good feedback and hopefully I can work on that.”
Think of the most cheerful, joyful, cheekiest European waiter, perhaps Manuel from Fawlty Towers, looking you in the eye, grinning from one ear to the other, happy for a chat, telling you to take your time, slapping your back, shaking your hand and sneaking you a free espresso, and you have an idea of the atmosphere for Sinner’s return.
There was singing, dancing and chanting of his name – rather humorously, Sinner! Sinner! – outside the stadium a couple of hours before his match began.
“That means much more than any result, to be honest,” Sinner said of the support. “It’s been an amazing feeling to come here.”
Ideal start
Il Maestro was teeing off against an idyllic opponent. Navarro’s one of the umpteen gritty claycourters slogging their way through the red dirt season in Europe, a player who does everything pretty well without doing anything especially great.
There haven’t been so many orange wigs in a crowd since Paul Vautin was coaching State of Origin, and Sinner’s triumphant points were celebrated long and loud.
All a far cry from the continuing spiral of Iga Swiatek, who’s so scarred by her one-month doping ban, and her secrecy around it, that she hasn’t won a tournament for a year and was beaten in Rome on the weekend by American drama queen Danielle “Joan” Collins.
Sinner’s level? About a 7/10.
“I was saying now in Italian, it’s very difficult to have the right feedback when you don’t have any matches,” he told the crowd on Campo Centrale. “But this match has been exactly what I need. Now I think the best practice is the match itself.
“I’m very happy about that, happy about the win. It’s been very difficult. I tried to move around the ball. At times it went very well and yes, at times it could be better. But in any case it doesn’t matter about the result because today has been a remarkable day for me. I’m very happy.”
The French Open starts on May 25, the day Oscar Piastri will let rip at the Monaco Grand Prix. It’s a fine old time to be in Europe if you like your sport.
Asked in his on-court interview if he had doubts about making a successful comeback, Sinner replied: “Of course. It’s normal to have doubts. Would be strange to not have any doubts. Would sound very arrogant, no?
“I have doubts. I had doubts before going on court today. I have doubts now what’s going to happen in the next match. But we have to live with doubts because it means that you really care, that you want to improve, that you want to show yourself, that you want to do something special. I believe every one of us has daily doubts.”
Alcaraz showdown
Goodness, he’s become a life coach since the Australian Open. His eight-month winning streak, notwithstanding having a bell around his neck for three months, includes unbeaten runs through the Shanghai Masters, ATP final, Davis Cup finals and Australian Open, where he competed like there was no tomorrow, suspecting there might not be for a few months.
I don’t doubt his doubts, but I doubt the validity of those doubts. Il Maestro is such an elite and gifted violinist/athlete he doesn’t need a perfect preparation to threaten for the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz is the man to beat on clay.
In Rome and Paris, all anyone really wants are finals between the Spaniard and Italian.
Sinner is the only other fellow on tour who can match Alcaraz for shotmaking. And he’s steadier mentally, no doubt about it.
“I’m really happy to have him around again,” Alcaraz said. “It’s been three months. I’m pretty sure for him it was tough, super long. I’ve seen him and it’s great for me, great for the tennis, great for the fans to have him again around.
“We are on different sides of the draw and hopefully I’m going to meet him at the final – but I just want I want to say, I’m really happy to see him again.”
More Coverage
Deep distrust hangs over US, China trade deal
Mao Zedong had a useful phrase to describe the strategy being used by China and America right now: ‘Fighting while negotiating.’
High-profile casualties, winners as PM looks to fix cabinet mistakes
Anthony Albanese has moved to address the perennial weakness that national security has been for Labor, while the rivalry between he and Tanya Plibersek won’t be extinguished by shunting her into social services.