Jannik Sinner had a terrific start to 2021 as he clinched the Great Ocean Road Open title to kick start the new season. The young Italian who made use of quarantine practice with Rafael Nadal, defeated his compatriot Stefano Travaglia in the final to win the second title of his career, but that wasn’t the best lesson that he took away from Australia!

Sinner has two career titles now. The first one came at Sofia Open 2020, and the recent one at Melbourne, Australia. The 19-year-old spent more than a month in Australia preparing for the Australian Open and took home some valuable lessons after being knocked out in the first round of the Slam. 

Jannik Sinner considers training with Rafael Nadal bigger than ATP title

Sinner had to undergo the quarantine measures that came along with participating at Australian Open 2021. The athletes went ahead with their training after completing the protocol, and fortunately for Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal was his training partner for a brief period. 

One could imagine how their training sessions would’ve gone; a 20-time Grand Slam champion training with a ‘Next Gen’ star. Jannik Sinner was overwhelmed to have got the special opportunity and picked his time with Nadal as the best moment he experienced in Australia. 

“I think practice with Rafa. It’s a big, big lesson,” Sinner replied when asked about the biggest lesson he took away from the opening Grand Slam. 

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“The reason why we came here for two weeks is to practice with Rafa, because I think he can give me many things about how to stay on court with the right mentality & that’s the biggest lesson,” Sinner added about Nadal. 

Sinner didn’t reveal what Rafael Nadal told him during their training routines, but he did mention that it is the most valuable lesson he’s learned this year. Such is the reverence that the Spaniard holds in the tennis community. 

Sinner picked Nadal’s guidance over an ATP title as the most valuable lesson he learned in Australia. The 19-year-old unfortunately crashed out in the first round of Australian Open 2021, or else he would have been asked this question a bit later this month! 

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