Jannik Sinner ‘fully in control’ as Italian’s critics sent message after Indian Wells triumph

Oli Dickson Jefford 20 Mar 2026 8:00 AM

Jannik Sinner lifts the Indian Wells title.

Former Italian tennis player Paolo Bertolucci has questioned why Jannik Sinner was under so much scrutiny ahead of his Indian Wells success.

World No 2 Sinner lifted the Indian Wells title for the very first time on Sunday, defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in a battle between two former world No 1’s.

Victory for the Italian saw him win his sixth title at Masters 1000 level, and join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in an exclusive group of three men to win all current Masters events held on hard courts.

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It was the first title won by Sinner in 2026, with the world No 2 having been under some scrutiny heading into the event.

The 24-year-old was stunned in five sets by Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-final, before a quarter-final loss to Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open in February.

Sinner now seems to have banished any concerns with his run to a significant title, and Bertolucci has questioned why the world No 2 faced criticism in the first place.

Speaking to Fanpage.It this week, the former world No 12 claimed he could not “understand” why there had been so much talk about Sinner’s start to the season.

He said (translated from Italian): “It’s a consequence of work and so much more, and I had no doubt it would happen. It’s not like you say: ‘Ah, Sinner is back.’ But why, we lost him?

“I don’t understand. He was number two in the world. Here, as usual, it’s like this: as soon as you lose a match, it becomes a tragedy. We’ll never learn that unbeaten runs don’t exist.

“Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have also lost in their careers, each of them about ten times a year. So I don’t see why this shouldn’t happen to Alcaraz rather than Sinner.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the point, but hopefully, we’ll try.”

Sinner was in impressive form in Indian Wells, not dropping a single set on his way to the Masters 1000 title.

The Italian faced some tough matches throughout his path, particularly against Joao Fonseca in the fourth round, and then again versus Medvedev in the championship match.

However, Bertolucci believes Sinner’s improvements throughout the tournament were obvious.

“We saw him improve day after day in quality and intensity,” added Bertolucci.

“He really gave the impression of a player who was fully in control, who was aware of the work he had done and his condition.

“He never wavered; in fact, in the crucial moments, as usual, he came through. Because when the match gets intense, he’s second to none.”

World No 2 Sinner is back in action at the Miami Open this week, with the Italian looking to become the first man since Federer in 2017 to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’.

A Miami Open runner-up in 2021 and 2023, Sinner lifted the title for the first time in 2024, though he was unable to defend his title in 2025 due to his three-month suspension.

The Italian is projected to meet world No 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the final, in what would be a first meeting of 2026 between the two.

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