Sinner, Wimbledon and that champagne cork

Perhaps we should have known it from that champagne cork that fell on his side. The scene was this: second set, 2-1 for Sinner, who was about to serve... when the unmistakable sound of a cork popping, in the silence of center court, and falling onto the court, left everyone stunned. Jannik picked it up and gave it to the ball boy, but perhaps that cork was the signal of the success to come, of the toast that awaited him three hours later, after that triple 6-4 that crowned him Wimbledon champion. Because Sinner played a great match, taming Alcaraz's exuberance, forcing him into errors, not allowing him to take the lead in rallies thanks to his effective serve. All this accompanied by a grit and a desire to win that made him shout "Go!" more than once, or putting his hands on his hips, incredulous at an error that was uncharacteristic of him, or even calling for the crowd, after a defense of his own followed by a tight cross-court backhand passing shot (at 5-4 and serving in the second set).

Perhaps we should have understood that this was the “most special Slam victory, after three months of inactivity and two lost finals”, as coach Simone Vagnozzi said, confessing to having cried – something that had never happened before – in the garage with Darren Cahill, Alex Vittur, mother Siglinde protected by a pair of sunglasses, father Hanspeter and Mark, the brother taken away from Formula 1.

Jannik also confirmed it: "Every Slam is special, my first was in Australia... This one is special because of its history, it's the most prestigious tournament, and you can see that in many ways. But it's also special because of what we've been through: the last three or four months haven't been easy, and now having this trophy makes it very, very special." So let's toast the world number 1, knowing that many more challenges await him with Carlos ("I'm proud to have reached the final" against a rival who "pushes me to give my all, 100% in every practice," said the Spaniard).

Sinner is making history in Italian sport, even though he hides his 23 years, saying it's not the time to talk about "historic" milestones: he's working first and foremost on his own development. "This doesn't mean I don't think about Italy," he clarifies. "On the contrary, I feel fortunate to be Italian and I'm happy to be part of this history, but now we have to move forward." Cheers and champion-like pragmatism await the next milestone.