ATP Halle: Jannik Sinner Proves to Be an Epitome of Sportsmanship With Generous Act After Technology Turned to Be Zhizhen Zhang’s Villain

Technological errors have been the bane of many tennis matches, frustrating players and fans alike. These glitches have caused confusion and controversy, and it seems the issues are far from being resolved. However, amidst these challenges, the newly crowned World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has managed to turn a moment of frustration into one of sportsmanship against his opponent Zhizhen Zhang, capturing the hearts of the tennis community.

The Italian tennis star was facing his Chinese counterpart in the semifinals at Halle. While the match ended in favor of Sinner 6-4, 7-6 (3) at the Owl Arena/Gerry-Weber-Stadion on Saturday, what caught the attention was the gesture that the tennis star depicted during the match. For Zhang, who became the first Chinese player to play in an ATP semi-final on grass, Sinner’s gesture is nothing short of heroic, especially when technology became a villain to him. 

During the match, Zhizhen hit a serve. But, the audio system on the electronic line calling went out, and Zhang thought he had an ace because there was no call from the umpire. However, the umpire soon revealed that the system did not make a call due to an error. “Due to a technical issue, the system wasn’t able to make the call. It’s confirmed that the serve was out.” While this seemed to sadden the Chinese star, Jannik walked up to the umpire for a special request.

The Italian sensation was seen requesting the umpire to give a first serve to his opponent after the technological error. This gesture wooed the tennis community, who hailed the gesture from the star player. This victory made Sinner enter the finals of the tournament, which is also his first final on grass. However, the run to the finals was not easy even for the World No. 1.

“I had to be very careful,” Sinner opens up on the challenges he faced to through to the finals

Grass courts are known for their uncertainty. However, for Jannik Sinner, entering the finals was extremely crucial and, even more so, since he is the World No. 1. Ahead of this entry to the finals, the highest achievement that the Italian has achieved was playing till the semi-finals in the last year’s Wimbledon. However, the journey was not easy for the star player.

Speaking after the win, Jannik Sinner expressed his happiness for entering into the finals. “It means a lot. I had four very tough matches to go to the final,” said Sinner after winning in straight sets. “It was a good match today. Definitely more rallies than yesterday and that’s exactly what I needed today. I’m happy and let’s see what’s coming tomorrow.”

Despite winning the match, he did not fail to laud his opponent and claimed that he had to be careful throughout. “In important moments [I was] trying to serve well,” the Italian said. “He returned actually really well in some moments so I had to be very careful. I had to save a set point in the second set.” 

Meanwhile, with technological errors not subsiding, it will be crucial for the Wimbledon organizers to put everything in place ahead of the tournament.