By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday April 2, 2021
Roberto Bautista Agut had opportunities to reach his second career Masters 1000 final on Friday in Miami, but he was ousted by a teenager that is proving he knows how to tackle the big stage.
That would be 19-year-old Jannik Sinner, who became just the fourth teenager to reach the Miami Open final in the tournament’s 36-year history. The other three—Andre Agassi, 1990, Rafael Nadal 2005 and Novak Djokovic, 2007—all went on to hold the No.1 ranking. It’s uncertain how high Sinner can go—he’s projected to rise to at least No.21 by reaching the final—but Bautista Agut agrees that Sinner has a very bright future ahead of him.
“Of course he’s good, no?” he said after losing to Sinner 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Friday to fall 0-2 against the Italian. “Both matches have the feeling I could won on both times but finally I didn’t, no? I think he has something special in tough moments. Today I had chances on the second set, chances on the third set, but, well, he’s a great player, great competitor, and I will try to beat him the next time.”
Teenage men that reached the @MiamiOpen final: @AndreAgassi, 1990 – reached No.1 ranking ☑️@RafaelNadal, 2005 – reached No.1 ranking ☑️@DjokerNole, 2007 – reached No.1 ranking ☑️@janniksin, 2021 – ?#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/9pGlQFiGv9
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 2, 2021
Bautista Agut says the Italian has pretty much everything he needs to be a top player.
“Well, of course he has a great future coming up,” he said. “He has everything, no? He has a big serve, he’s tall, he’s big, he moves well, he has very good groundstrokes. Well, mentally he’s also great and improving. He has a great future coming up.”
Sinner on His Success: One Week Means Nothing
Sinner is calm both on the court, and never seems to get to high after big wins. He had the same approach to his press conference on Friday, adding that his achievement of joining Agassi, Nadal and Djokovic as Miami teenage finalists was nice, but not really that important in the scheme of things.
For Sinner, the goal is to work and keep improving, not to celebrate every accomplishment as a victory. The job of becoming the tennis player he wants to be is far from done, he says.
After reaching the #MiamiOpen final, #JannikSinner explains why he’s still peeling potatoes and carrots: “If you are peeling potatoes, it doesn’t mean you can’t cook. It means you still have a lot of recipes to learn, how to set up your plates. It will come, but not now” https://t.co/UI7xJr0IFn
— Vanni Gibertini (@vgibertini) April 2, 2021
“It feels great obviously [to be the fourth teenager to make the Miami final] but as I always say, you know, I’m 19,” he said. “You know, the road to have this big name is long, you know. It’s not done in one week of tournament. Is a long process to come there, to become there.
“You know, I think it’s nice to play finals here in Miami, but, you know, as I say, it doesn’t mean anything, you know, that you are going to win other tournaments. I mean, the road is long. I know it. My team knows that. Obviously it can be a great week for me. It is a great week for me. But, you know, the work has to go on. Obviously, as I said, it’s nice but, you know, it doesn’t mean anything.”