Sinner, without compassion before De Minaur

And there was surprise at the beginning because it is a break that the local hero concedes in the third game. But the Italian is not surprised, he knows how to handle himself in these situations and offers a display of hard, flat, direct and deep blows with which he not only turns around the disadvantage but also begins to dwarf the Australian.

San Candido has managed a rollercoaster year. The best moments, seven titles, his first two Grand Slams (plus Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Rotterdam and Halle). The worst moments, a positive in March, a covert investigation, the discovery of his doping in September, the excuses, the criticism, the complaint from the World Anti-Doping Agency in October, his case still on hold like a match in which he cannot participate more than the rest. In that tide, he continues to do his thing on the track. Maybe because his smile disappeared, as he said, he has become even stronger and more steely. This is how he builds the story of this debut in the Masters Cup.

The Australian, a novice on this track, slides as far as he can along the baseline, hunting for the cannon shots with which Sinner bombards him, but this Sinner is tireless and hits and hits and hits without mercy.

It is almost boring when he manages to enter that mental state of coldness, of rapport with the track no matter how fast it is, of absolute concentration on the strategy and how to execute it. Almost boring because you know it’s going to end the same, with a point in its favor, but hypnotic and, of course, admirable.

He has won the Australian Open and the US Open, from hard court to hard court, so he still has gaps to the relief of his rivals. He also has that room for improvement, to the despair of rivals.

Desperate before the barrage of accurate blows that were impossible to return, or impossible subtleties that fell on the line, De Miñaur finished that first set. Smiling when he went out onto the court, the first focus of this tournament of exclusivity for him, but tormented by that ‘break’ in the third game that he did not know how to sustain.

The punishment continued in the second chapter. The Australian had a moment of respite when the match was stopped by a fan who was unwell. There, again the Sinner with the friendly face, offering a bottle of water to help the follower, who was being treated by the medical services.

But he had three break balls in his hand, that fearsome version of the Italian that he no longer let escape. Without getting worn out, which could have been a triumph for the rest, Sinner waited for his own serve to carry him towards his first victory in this Masters Cup that he longs for to continue increasing his record, to continue dispelling the ghosts of doping, to continue to be number 1 in the world,