“This title for me means so much,” Jannik Sinner said after winning his maiden US Open! The World No. 1 started off his season with an Australian Open victory, went through a chaotic and dull phase on and off the court for a brief time. Handing a 3-6, 4-6, 5-7 defeat to Taylor Fritz, the Italian No. 1 tennis plater has now ended the year’s last Grand Slam with a fairytale. As the fresh wave of excitement sweeps through the tennis world, a subtle yet intriguing gesture caught fans’ attention, one that includes a link to his compatriot, Matteo Berrettini!

Berrettini’s former girlfriend, Melissa Satta, who split up with the Italian player earlier this year, took to her Instagram and shared a snap of Jannik Sinner holding his trophy high up in the air with a smile on his face. The Italian model and television personality tagged the Italian player and added the caption, “👏🏻💪🏻🔥👍🏻”.

Back in February this year, Berrettini revealed details about his recent breakup with Satta. The couple, who had been dating since January 2023, have decided to go their separate ways. “Melissa Satta and I are no longer together,” Berrettini said, per The Sun. Berrettini described their relationship as “intense” but did not provide any further information about the reasons for their split. “What I can say is that we had a beautiful, intense relationship, we have great respect for each other. I won’t go beyond this, I don’t like sharing my private life too much.”

For Jannik Sinner, this season has been a whirlwind of a journey, starting from winning his maiden grand slam to continuing his winning streak in Rotterdam and also making it to the Indian Wells semifinals. However, an unexpected bump, due to his doping case after testing positive for Clostebol(a banned steroid) twice, halted his journey for a brief time. 

But the Miami Open champion displayed his faith in the system and went ahead with his back-to-back QFs and semifinal appearances in the tournaments, holding his head high. The French Open semifinalist, who dethroned Novak Djokovic from the No. ranking spot in June, faced backlash for skipping the golden opportunity to make an Olympic debut. But nothing stopped him from his unwavering commitment to the sport as he went ahead to add another title in the Halle Open! 

Moreover, the Canadian Open quarterfinalist won his doping trial in August and held the trophy in Cincinnati before winning his career’s second grand slam on Sunday. With this, Sinner became the first Italian man to claim a US Open singles title and the youngest man to ever win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in a single season with wins in Melbourne and New York.

Following this remarkable feat, Sinner opened up about a special person that deserves the credit!

Jannik Sinner’s heartfelt admission after the US Open victory!

Jannik Sinner now holds a record of 55-5 an imperious 35-2 (95%) on hard courts, while also maintaining an impressive winning streak in 11 matches currently! Per him, it was the win in Melbourne that provided him with the confidence to go on. Moreover, he intends to further “improve” his performance, while also being “proud” of himself for what he has achieved so far.

Confessing about the tumultuous path to success, the World No. 1 further confessed, “I love tennis, I practice a lot for this kind of stage, but off the court, there is a life.” Furthermore, he added, “I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt who is really not feeling well health-wise. I don’t know how much I’ll still have her in my life. It’s so nice I can still share a positive moment with her.”

Now as the curtains close on the US Open, Jannik Sinner progresses to new heights in tennis while fans worldwide appreciate his tennis skills. And now, among his fans, Berrettini’s former girlfriend’s name also shines brighter than ever!