Jannik Sinner has claimed another title after beating Learner Tien in the final of the China Open.
It proved a comfortable victory for the Italian player, who has his sights set on becoming world number one again following Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters.
Sinner had treatment on his leg in his semifinal win over Alex de Minaur and naturally, his fans would have been anxious about that going into the final.
The final proved a procession, however, with Sinner praising Tien for his efforts afterwards, despite the fact that he was blown away by the dominant force that is Sinner.
Photo by Fred Lee/Getty ImagesJannik Sinner confirms why he wrote ‘thank you’ on the camera
At the vast majority of tennis tournaments these days, the winning player is tasked with writing a message to fans on the camera.
Sinner was no different after winning the China Open and simply wrote the words ‘thank you’ on the lens for the world to see.
In his post-match press conference, he was asked why he chose to write the message to the fans.
He said: “Yes, I feel like the crowd here has always been very special to me, already a couple of years ago when I arrived.
“When you win a title again where you won already, it’s a very special place, no? A couple of years ago, it was a turning point for my career, playing some great tennis against great opponents. This I will always remember.
“I come back here, and winning again, it’s very nice. Yeah, so the support has been amazing since day one. Seeing a packed stadium for the final is amazing. The crowd was very nice.
“So yeah, that’s why I wrote ‘thank you’.”
Sinner is now eyeing the world number one spot again and it might not be too much longer to wait in order to reach the summit of the rankings.
Jannik Sinner shares what was unusual about his China Open win
Sinner hadn’t taken part in the China Open last year but did win the title in Beijing back in 2023.
Sinner has had some injury scares this week, but once again, he’s claimed a title, and he’s now won 18 titles on hard courts.
After winning the 21st title of his career, he explained what he felt was somewhat unusual about this particular victory.
He said in his press conference: “Yeah, great, of course, having my name next to them. At the same time, as I always say, everyone is different, everyone tries to make their own path and way of career. I don’t know how many times they played here, actually.
“But for me, this will always be a beautiful tournament, no matter what’s coming in the future. It’s very unusual to come to a place for the first time and win straightaway. This happened to me here.
“Now three finals in a row in three years. It means that I really like to play tennis here. I feel very comfortable.
“Yeah, it’s very nice also to see that other big, big players have played here in these stadiums. It’s very nice.”
Sinner will now head to the Shanghai Masters, where he will play German player Daniel Altmaier on Friday.