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World No. 10 Jannik Sinner put on a masterclass in his Davis Cup debut for Italy against the USA on Saturday. The 20-year-old blew away John Isner 6-2, 6-0, helping Italy beat the USA 2-1 following Lorenzo Sonego's win over Reilly Opelka earlier in the day.
Sinner's spectacular performance left many impressed, including USA captain Mardy Fish.
In the post-match press conference, Fish lauded the youngster's attitude on the court and pointed out how there was no tinge of arrogance in him.
“There is no doubt that he has a bright future ahead of him," Fish said. "Today was impressive. What strikes me the most is his attitude on the court. There are a lot of arrogant young men, but he is quite the opposite. I had never seen anything like it."
Jannik Sinner calls win over Isner 'very special'
Jannik Sinner has had an outstanding season, winning as many as four titles and cementing his place in the world's top 10 for the first time in his career. He also got a chance to play at the prestigious ATP Finals as an alternate, where he demolished Hubert Hurkacz and took a set off US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
But playing for Italy in the Davis Cup was a whole new experience for him. The fast-rising Italian said representing his country meant "a lot" to him.
“It means a lot because I'm playing for our country, something different,” Sinner said after his match. “You play not alone, you play for a group. You have a lot of responsibility. I always watched in front of the TV the guys who play for Italy."
The World No. 10 also went on to call the win over Isner "very special."
"Now I'm here trying to make the best what I can do," he said. "Today it went very well – it is very special."
Sinner also admitted that he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
“It's not like a normal match day, for sure," he said. "People see me, everyone says that I'm relaxed, but I'm not because I'm human and we are nervous. We have a lot of pressure."
While Sonego and Sinner delivered wins for the Italians, Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock pulled one back for the USA in doubles.
Italy next face Colombia on Saturday as they look to top the Group E standings and book a quarter-final berth.
