Jannik Sinner’s recent success is being tied to a bizarre incident that saw him vomit in a bin during the China Open in Beijing. Since then, the 22-year-old has lifted two titles, helped Italy win the Davis Cup, beaten Novak Djokovic multiple times and only just two matches for the remainder of the year. The world No 4 has ended 2023 as arguably the most in-form player and fans believe that ‘post-puke Sinner’ is a different player.
Sinner looked down and out when he threw up into a bin on the court during his Beijing quarter-final match against Grigor Dimitrov in early October. The Italian had already looked unwell when he beat Dan Evans earlier that week but he managed to overcome the illness to defeat Dimitrov. He then went on to lift the title at the China Open, beating Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev back-to-back.
The viral moment, which saw the world No 4 open the lid of a wheelie bin and vomit, has given way to a new theory – that ‘post-puke Sinner’ is a superior player. Including his win over Dimitrov, the 22-year-old won five matches in a row after throwing up with his streak snapped by Ben Shelton in the Shanghai Masters round of 16.
After that, Sinner went on a 10-match winning streak as he lifted the title in Vienna, won his opening match in Paris before withdrawing, and reached the final of the ATP Finals with a 4-0 record for the week. He also managed to beat Novak Djokovic for the first time during the group stage, though the world No 1 got revenge in the ATP Finals final.
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The Italian’s defeats to Djokovic and Shelton are his only losses since being sick mid-match, giving him an 18-2 record after throwing up. The 10-time title winner is also 9-1 against top 10 opponents as ‘post-puke Sinner’. And he managed to cap off an incredible end to the season by helping Italy win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1976.
Sinner didn’t lose a match all week – spanning three singles matches and two in doubles. He helped his nation come back after losing the opening singles rubber in the quarter-final against the Netherlands and the semi-final against Serbia. During the semi-final, Sinner saved three match points against Djokovic in the second singles rubber before beating him 6-2 2-6 7-5.
He then downed the world No 1 twice in the same day, as Sinner teamed up with Lorenzo Sonego to defeat Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in the doubles. Italy then faced Australia in the final, where Matteo Arnaldi beat Alexei Popyrin in a close three-setter. Sinner ended the season with a dominant 6-3 6-0 victory over Alex de Minaur to secure the trophy for Italy.
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The world No 4’s dominant two weeks in Turin and Malaga have only fuelled the ‘post-puke Sinner’ theory, with fans taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to note the upswing in his season since throwing up. “Legend of post puke Sinner growing by the second,” user @dccb31 tweeted after Sinner beat Djokovic at the ATP Finals.
After Sinner booked his spot in the ATP Finals final, @carter_crv wrote: “Post-puke Jannik Sinner is the best tennis player in the world.” And some believe that Sinner can make strides at the Grand Slams next year after the watershed moment as @aprilglick added: “I feel like post-puke Sinner can beat the top 5 in BO5 now. I just do!”
Sinner also achieved some major milestones before throwing up into a bin in Beijing, as he reached his first Major semi-final at Wimbledon over the summer and won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto. While the post-puke theory is likely just that – a fun theory – there’s no denying that the 22-year-old has cemented himself as one of the current best players in the world and no one will want to face him when the 2024 season begins.
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