"I Don't Have a Technique" Jannik Sinner Refuses Novak Djokovic's Crowd-Playing Approach in Madrid
April 24, 2026, Madrid, Spain: Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, playing against Benjamin Bonzi of France. Victory of Jannik Sinner, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 Madrid Spain - ZUMAs197 20260424_aaa_s197_237 Copyright: xDavidxCanalesx ©IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire The question about crowd handling was the logical outcome of the events that had just occurred on Manolo Santana Stadium. Jannik Sinner had sent Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 in 87 minutes; the Frenchman’s nine-match winning streak ended with such calm mastery that it hardly seemed like a semifinal.
In 2026, Fils came on clay, unbeaten and full of confidence, having just won Barcelona, and was equipped with a coach in Goran Ivanisevic , who added a new dimension to his game. For one set, the crowd was invested. By the second, they had hopes with Fils winning four games, but was watching something that felt inevitable.
During the post-match press conference, when the crowd was still ringing in the background, Sinner was questioned about how he copes with the crowd at the Caja Mágica, where the partisan Spanish crowd and the altitude-charged atmosphere result in one of the most hostile environments on the entire calendar. There was some implicit allusion in the question: Novak Djokovic who has over twenty years created the most advanced relationship that any player to ever play the game has developed with crowd pressure. His power to absorb enmity and turn it around and utilize it as competitive fuel was among the factors that made him barely beatable during the most high-stakes moments.
Would Sinner attempt the same? The response was prompt and typically straightforward. “I think everyone is different.
Novak handled it very, very well, of course I think the best. But for me, I don’t have a technique. For me, honestly, I’m just happy to be part of a match,” Sinner said.
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