Sinner silences criticism: he is the first Italian to win the Master 1000 in Indian Wells (and dedicates the victory to Kimi Antonelli)

Jannik Sinner makes the history of Italian tennis. With the victory over Daniil Medvedev 7-6 7-6 in the final, the South Tyrolean becomes the first Italian to win the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells. A performance that not only marks his first title of the season, but also represents his sixth victory in Masters 1000 tournaments and the achievement of 100 victories in the category. An achievement that puts him alongside legends such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The special dedication to Kimi Antonelli

But Sinner didn’t think only of himself, dedicating the victory to Kimi Antonelli who crossed the finish line of the Shanghai Grand Prix first, thus becoming the first Italian driver to win after 20 years since Giancarlo Fisichella. To congratulate him, the tennis player – a great Formula 1 fan like his brother – wrote on camera: “Well done Kimi”.

Then on the awards ceremony stage he congratulated Kimi again, in a moment that united tennis and motors and celebrated two young Italian talents that the whole world envies us:

This is a special day: I am a big fan of Formula 1 and I think it is fantastic to have a young driver like Kimi Antonelli taking Italy to the top.

The response to criticism and the growth path

After a complicated start in 2026, Sinner has demonstrated his ability to turn criticism into motivation. The South Tyrolean tennis player had in fact been eliminated at the Australian Open by Novak Djokovic, while at the Rotterdam tournament he had surprisingly stopped in the quarterfinals against the young Jakub Mensik. The victory erases all doubts and confirms the tactical maturity of the world number 2.

Sinner managed the moments of maximum tension perfectly, maintaining calm and control of the match without granting break points to Medvedev. His solid strategy and powerful serve allowed him to close in two sets, avoiding a potentially difficult third. A triumph that not only erases previous disappointments, but relaunches his race towards the top of the ATP rankings and the Sunshine Double objective with Miami, where Sinner aims to confirm continuity on American hard courts.

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