After helping Italy win the Davis Cup and defeating Novak Djokovic, AC Milan has hailed Jannik Sinner as an inspiration. In two matches in one day, the world No. 4 defeated the Serb to guarantee his nation’s spot in the final match. He then won the last match in the final to give Italy their first Davis Cup victory in forty-seven years. AC Milan’s manager, Stefano Pioli, now wants his team to build on Sinner’s achievements throughout their Champions League campaign.
Sinner was Italy’s victor in the Davis Cup last week. He kept his country in the competition twice, winning the opening singles rubber in their quarterfinal match against the Netherlands and their semifinal match against Serbia. The 22-year-old won all five of his matches—two in doubles and three in singles—during the contest.
And as AC Milan gets ready to take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage, they will be inspired by the Italian’s victory. Pioli said ahead of the game: “We have to have Sinner’s mentality and drive. He’s an inspirational figure due to his determination, his talent, his quality, his mentality, and his desire to win every single point.”
He added: “If Jannik attends, we’ll be happy. In the meantime, I’d like to congratulate him, the Italy Davis Cup team, and the captain, Filippo Volandri.”
Speaking after Italy won the trophy for the first time since 1976, Volandri said: “Jannik gave us a lot of things. We didn’t have enough time to explain how many things he gave us, but all the guys here and the guys that are not here right now gave us a lot of things. That’s why we managed, that’s why we really won this trophy.”