Unstoppable. Winner of the Australian Open in January then the ATP 500 in Rotterdam in February, Sinner (22) has lost only one of the 23 matches he has played in 2024, and will be the new N .2 in the world on Monday, his best ranking, in place of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
After two defeats in the final in Florida in 2021 (against Hubert Hurkacz) and 2023 (against Daniil Medvedev), Sinner lifted the trophy for the first time, for a second final victory in Masters 1000 after the Canadian Open last year .
Sinner, who dominated Russian Daniil Medvedev (N.4) in the semi-final 6-1, 6-2 on Friday, was once again relentless against Dimitrov with his complete, precise and powerful game.
“Jannik has been exceptional since the start of the year, he plays incredible tennis. Even if there was no match today (Sunday), I appreciate my journey here,” greeted Dimitrov, who will return to the world Top 10 (9th) on Monday at the age of 32 for the first time since November 2018 “At the moment, Jannik is the best player in the world,” he said.
The Italian with the red curls pounded the delicious one-handed backhand of the Bulgarian who, although author of some sublime shots, ended up cracking by committing many mistakes in the second round, when Sinner had erased any error from his game.
“The further I got into the tournament, the better I felt. My performance today is very good. I am proud of the way I handled the match,” he said. “I started the season very, very well, I never would have imagined such a start. Being number 2 in the world gives me an incredible feeling.”
Sinner saved the only break point obtained by Dimitrov and knew how to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Bulgarian (four break points converted out of eight). He pocketed the first set with a fabulous long-line backhand passing, shot very far behind the baseline. Dimitrov offered a very good level, with some backhands along the line also well felt, but far from the consistency of the Italian.
Australian Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s two coaches, praised his student’s performance. “I found him incredible today (Sunday), he almost didn’t make any unforced errors, kept playing very long to make every point from Dimitrov difficult. When Grigor won points, it was thanks to spectacular tennis, he made him take a lot of risks.
After Carlos Alcaraz’s success at Indian Wells, where he inflicted Sinner with his only defeat of the year in the semi-final, the American hard court tour confirmed the hold of these two headliners of the new generation on world tennis. Their fight against the aging tennis legends promises to be exciting on clay, where Spaniard Rafael Nadal hopes to offer himself one last thrill.
Still world No.1 with more than 1,000 points ahead of Sinner, the Serbian Novak Djokovic will be eagerly awaited on ocher after a disappointing start to the year (defeat in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, in the third round at Indian Wells, absent in Miami).
If he continues his momentum, Sinner can hope to get closer to the place of world No.1, with many points to be gleaned during the clay season, where he was slightly behind in 2023 with eliminations in the semis in Monte-Carlo, quarters in Barcelona, eighths in Rome and especially in the second round at Roland-Garros.